A vampire's bite
by Sandy1983
Summary: Elena stumbles upon vampire Damon in the 19th century. She becomes enthralled by him and his explanation on the sexy nature of vampire bites.
1. Chapter 1

A vampire's bite

**Set in the 19th century**

Elena listened to the calm of the quarry; the lapping water, the birds humming and the wind blowing. She loved to come here. This was her time out. Sometimes, she just needed to get away from her strict lifestyle and let loose.

Nobody knew about this place. She had discovered it a few years ago, after a fight with her parents. She had run off and wandered around the woods aimlessly until she stumbled upon this beautiful spot. It was now her safe haven.

On warm days like this, she would bring her journal along to write some. She would take off her shoes and dip her toes into the water while she wrote.

She picked up her heavy skirts and walked towards the water. It was a good thing her parents didn't know about this. It was not proper for a girl to go trudging off into the woods alone. It was too tomboyish. After all, she was raised to be a socialite.

Caroline understood her need to break free once and a while, so she always covered for her. Caroline Forbes was her best friend; they had grown up together. They had been introduced because their families knew and befriended each other.

They had gotten into loads of mischief together. Elena loved her dearly.

She took out her journal and sat down at the edge of the water, her skirts flowing around her. After dipping her toes into the water, she began to write.

She had gotten so lost in the quiet, that a crow that suddenly landed at her feet made her jump. The creature was pure black; it was an exquisite bird.

Elena put down her journal and looked at the beautiful creature.

"Hey there, birdie. You scared me for a moment. Aren't you pretty," she gushed to it.

She leaned a little closer towards it, reaching out. Unfortunately, the bird flew up and out of her reach suddenly, squawking as it went.

Elena stared after it, watching it disappear above the trees.

Well, that was weird! Birds weren't known to come so close to humans. And yet, this one had practically landed in her lap.

As Elena stared at the sky, she noticed that the sun was beginning to set. She must have been writing here longer than she had thought. It was time to head back.

She got up and put on her shoes, ready to get going.

A noise behind her startled her; it sounded like someone stepping on a fig. She whirled around, but found nothing.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" she asked politely.

Her heart was pounding in her throat as she realised how eerie this was. Here she was, alone, and it was beginning to get dark. She shouldn't have written so long. Her father always warned her to be back in the house before sunset. He just never explained why.

Elena searched the trees for an indication that someone was there. When she found none, she turned around to pick up her journal that was still lying on the grass.

She tucked it under her arm and turned back around when her heart literally jumped out of her chest. There was a man there!

He was standing at the same patch of trees she had just searched for a presence, and he was watching her.

"Sir? You startled me. Why didn't you answer when I asked who was there?" she asked a bit snippy.

The man didn't answer her. Instead he walked closer towards her, his eyes roaming over her body.

Well, he was forward! It wasn't proper for a man to be looking at a woman like that! Not if he didn't have her hand in marriage!

But he was gorgeous. He had jet black hair and her gaze was immediately drawn to his eyes. They were so blue, they were like crystals.

He stopped in front of her and held her gaze. Elena swallowed at the intensity that was this man. There was something about him. He exuded an air of danger around him, combined with buckets of sexual energy. It made her blush profusely.

She found herself nailed to the ground, when she should be running from this place, back to the safety of her house. But she was lost in the stranger's gaze.

"Who are you?" she asked him softly.

He just smiled at her without answering. Instead, he wandered over towards the water, staring across. He kept his back turned towards her.

Okay, Elena. This is your chance. Walk away!

"Isn't it beautiful out here? The calm of the rustling trees and the lapping water. I find it…"

The man stopped to gaze at her again.

"Alluring," he finished his sentence.

Elena's throat felt too tight suddenly. The way he had spoken that last word as he looked at her… He was so seductive.

Yeah, she needed to leave here!

"I always come here when the sun sets. I love the last fading light; the fading warmth. The colours of the sky are to die for," he continued.

Elena found herself walking towards him, instead of walking way. She had no idea why.

"I'm actually not allowed to be here when the sun sets. My father always wants me in the house before the dark."

Why did she just tell him that? Go home, Elena!

"Ah, I see. Because of the vampires," he suddenly said.

Elena's head whipped around to look at him. What the hell was he talking about? Vampires?

"I understand that. I would want you at home too before sunset," he winked at her.

This man was way too cocky for his own good. And he certainly wasn't proper with the way he talked! This was not a man that would settle down with a proper wife. He would never lose his wild streak, she could sense it.

"Vampires don't exist. They are a metaphor for modern day fears," she snapped at him.

The man turned her way with interest.

"So you are not afraid of the dark, then?" he asked her.

Elena huffed.

"Hardly."

"So you don't believe in the rumours that are spreading? That people aren't attacked by wild beasts, but by vampires?"

Elena shook her head. Did this man believe in those rumours?

"They are lies to make people behave properly; to have them doing the right thing," she said.

The man smirked at her.

"Well, you certainly aren't behaving properly right now, are you? It's almost dark."

Elena wanted to slap this man! But that certainly wouldn't be proper. However, he wasn't behaving very well either!

"I don't need you to tell me off!" she told him angrily.

The man stared out across the waters again.

"What is your opinion on vampires then, Miss?" he wanted to know.

Elena shrugged.

"I don't know. They are abominations of the night. They are ugly, they have sharp teeth and they use humans for a quick feed. I don't think very highly of them."

The corner of the man's mouth quirked with amusement.

"Vampires don't bite just for the kill. They also bite for pleasure."

Elena turned to look at the man in bewilderment. He was talking to her about pleasure? Where was his moral code? This was not a conversation for a man and woman that had just met!

But on the other hand, no matter how vulgar this man seemed to be, she was drawn in. There was something mysterious and sexy about him. She noticed the way her body reacted to him; her heart was pounding, her skin tingled and her breasts felt full and heavy. She couldn't help it. She seemed to like the bad boy in him.

"Why would you say vampires bite for pleasure?" she therefore asked him curiously.

The man turned her way completely now and looked deeply into her eyes.

"Vampires are very sexual creatures to begin with. Their emotions are heightened. When they bite, it's not just for food. Well yes, that too. But the bite from a vampire is an erotic thing. They have to be really close to you in order to bite you," he began.

He raised his hand towards her neck to prove his point. She shivered as he pushed her curls aside and stroked the skin where her carotid artery was.

Elena gulped.

"The neck is a very sensual and very sensitive place. It could be counted as an erogenous zone. When a vampire bites there, a woman may receive pleasure from it. Because it's in tune with her womanhood."

She felt herself getting hot at his words. His hand was still on her neck, softly stroking it. Why was she letting him do this?

"A vampire receives pleasure from it too, because blood gets him going. Therefore, it could be a sexual experience for both parties," he finished his explanation.

Elena felt her heart thumping in her chest. He was too close. She felt too tight. There was stickiness between her thighs and she had no idea where it had come from.

"You certainly know a lot about vampires," she said flippantly.

The man smiled.

"I am a vampire, Miss."

Elena wanted to laugh at his words. But then his face changed; his eyes went dark and reddish veins appeared beneath his eyes. Finally, his fangs lengthened in his mouth.

Elena's mouth opened and closed in shock, but no sound came out. So this was why he was here, talking to her. He wanted to drink from her. He wanted to kill her!

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you," he reassured her.

"But you.. You…"

Elena had lost the ability to talk or even walk. She was paralysed with fear. If there ever was a chance to walk away before, it was gone now. He would never let her get away. He was too close. She wouldn't make it.

"I am a vampire, yes. But like I said before; I don't have to kill in order to feed. I'm not going to lie. I want to drink from you. But I also want to make it pleasurable. I want you to feel what I meant."

Elena shook her head in panic.

"Please let me go!" she begged him.

The man cupped her chin in his hand and looked at her intensely.

"I will let you go, sweetheart. I just need to drink first."

Elena pushed against his chest when he leaned forward. But he was too strong. All too soon, she felt the prick of his fangs against the soft tissue of her neck. She felt him take her life's essence with small gulps.

It hurt immensely at first, and she struggled with all of her strength. But then something changed. The pain subsided and she began to feel warm. The vampire began to feel the change too, and she heard him groan against her neck.

One of his hands was cupping the back of her head to be able to feed properly; the other was on her lower back, holding her close to his body.

Elena felt a swirling begin in her belly. It spread through her body like a wildfire. He had been right, it felt good. Really good.

The man placed his thigh in between her legs. It pressed intimately against her and Elena couldn't hold back anymore. She let out a moan.

What was happening? What was this? Why was her body betraying her?

Before she knew what she was doing, she was rubbing her sex wantonly against his powerful thigh. She needed something here; she just wasn't sure what it was.

The man groaned against her neck with her actions and he placed his hand on her bottom to help her roll her hips against him.

It felt like her sex was on fire. She released little, breathy moans on each downward push. The fire in her was blazing now. She felt like it would consume her at any minute.

With each suck he made on her neck, she could feel something deep in her belly tugging. The tugging then when straight down to where she was riding his leg.

This was insane! Why hadn't she walked away when she still had the chance? Why was this man so sexy and seductive for her?

He sucked one last time and she felt like she came unhinged. A shout escaped her mouth as the swirling in her belly seemed to explode. She held onto his shoulders as she helplessly rode out the intense feeling.

Afterwards, her head lolled forward against his chest.

She could hear him chuckle above her. Stupid man! Stupid vampire! She hated him for making her feel like this!

Her head shot up and she shot daggers at him with her eyes.

"What did you do to me? Did you put a spell on me, or something? How were you able to make that happen?" she shouted at him.

The man smirked.

"First orgasm, huh?" was his only reply.

Elena slapped him. Hard.

"You stay away from me! You are a vile creature! I never want to lay eyes on you again!"

The man just shrugged.

"You were quite happy with me a few moments ago, sweetheart," he winked cockily.

When Elena came at him again, he put his hands up in surrender.

"Whoa! Easy there! You are free to go. Better get home. It's already dark," he told her.

Elena looked up at the sky to find the sun had already faded behind the trees. When she looked back down, the man was gone. She was alone at the quarry with nothing but silence surrounding her….

**A/N: I don't know if this will be a new story or not. It depends on the response. This has been bugging me for a while now. I've had conversations on twitter about the erotic nature of a vampire's bite and blood play. Afterwards, it stayed in my head. It had to come out. So here it is. If you like it, I might continue with more steamy blood play scenes. If you don't, this stays a one shot. **

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	2. Chapter 2

The whisper of a thrill

Elena stared at herself in the mirror, only to let her gaze be drawn to that spot again; that place which held two puncture wounds. The vampire had been very delicate in his biting; her skin was still smooth somehow as if nothing had happened, except for the two very neat holes. He hadn't even so much as spilled a drop of blood, which she was thankful for. Otherwise she would have had to explain to her parents where the blood on her clothes had come from.

When she had gotten home last night, her father had been cross with her for being so late. Elena had excused herself and explained that she had stayed with Caroline longer than she had originally intented. She knew Caroline would cover for her.

Her father had relented a bit, before making her promise that she would never come home after sunset again. He hadn't seen the bite. Elena's curls always covered her neck, so no one would ever be the wiser.

Elena's fingers carefully ghosted up towards the small holes in her neck. She still remembered the pleasure he had given her; the way her body had betrayed her and had given in to him. When she thought about the feelings he had evoked in her, her heart began to flutter in her chest. It had felt really good. It was something she had never felt before in her young life; the way her skin had burned where he had touched her, the way something in her stomach had begun to pool, and that stickiness between her thighs.

For reasons unknown to her, she pressed hard against the twin holes with her fingers, making her gasp out loud.

What was she doing here? Was she trying to enact what he had done to her last night? Did she want him to bite her again?

She quickly tore her fingers away from her neck and took a deep breath. Of course she didn't want that beast to bite her again! The whole idea was ludicrous! She didn't even know his name. She would probably never see him again.

She carefully placed her curls in front of the wound again, lifted up her skirts and went downstairs.

The Gilbert estate was bustling with activity. It would be lunchtime soon, and her father had invited some gentlemen over. It was all work related, so Elena was sure it would be a dull lunch for her.

She wandered down the halls to find her mother seated in the sitting room. Miranda Gilbert looked up as her daughter entered.

"Ah, Elena. Good that you're here. I've been meaning to talk to you. Sit."

Miranda patted the space on the couch next to her, indicating where she wanted her daughter to be seated. Elena complied to her mother's wish.

"I have some very good news, Elena. I know you'll be turning eighteen soon and you'll be of respectable age to marry. It just so happens that you have caught the attention of Master Mason Lockwood. He wants to court you," her mother said excitedly.

Miranda examined her daughter's face, eagerly waiting for a reaction, but Elena remained emotionless. Mason Lockwood wanted to court her? But they had never even liked each other!

"Elena, could you say something please? It's impolite to ignore your mother," Miranda chided her.

Elena looked up at her and shrugged.

"I am sorry, mother. But I don't understand. Master Lockwood has never given me any indication that he wanted to court me. He once said he detested me."

Miranda smiled brightly.

"Well, that is all in the past. You have caught his attention now. And he is quite a catch. Your father couldn't be happier about this. A Lockwood-Gilbert merging is just what his company and our reputation needs."

Elena nodded in understanding. She got it now. Mason Lockwood didn't want to court her because he liked her, this was a business transaction. He had probably caved under the pressure of his own father, just like she would have to do.

She smiled flatly at her mother, indicating that she had understood and would go along with it. Because what other choice did she have?

"Very well, I understand that your father is entertaining some guests at lunch today. Let's go to the dining room."

Elena followed her mother with hunched shoulders. Would this be her life from now on? Social gatherings with people she didn't find amusing? Marrying a man she couldn't stand the sight of?

She had always known she would have to marry someone respectable in the upper class circles someday. She had just hoped that it would be someone that she could learn to appreciate; someone she could learn to love.

She sat down at the dining table with her mother and watched as her father approached with his business associates.

"Gentlemen, may I introduce my lovely wife Miranda and daughter Elena?" her father started the introductions.

Elena raised her hand in a bored manner. She had never been particularly fond of strange men kissing her hand. But it was part of society.

She turned her head to watch a man approach her and her heart got caught in her throat at the sight of him.

Crystal blue eyes stared back at her; they were as blue as she remembered them. And the jet black hair…

He seemed almost as startled as she was, it was clear that he wasn't expecting her here.

What was he doing here?

Her throat became very dry suddenly as she realised the context of this all. There was a vampire in her house! Her father was entertaining a vampire!

She could call for help, but in all honesty, who would believe her? She was still having a hard time believing it herself!

The vampire quickly composed himself and put the same smirk on his face she had seen last night. There was an air of cockiness surrounding him as he gently grasped her hand in his, deliberately stroking the skin of her hand with his thumb.

The action set her unwillingly on fire again, her body remembering the touch of the one who had brought her to great heights not too long ago.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Gilbert," he said huskily.

Her heart thudded in her chest as he leaned forward and pressed his cool lips against the back of her hand. He then wickedly parted his lips a little and licked with his hot tongue over her skin. He did it so sneakily that nobody else noticed it. Her mother was deep in conversation with the man standing in front of her and her father was laughing with his associates.

Elena hissed and quickly pulled her hand back.

"The pleasure is all mine, Master…," She paused to let him fill in the blank, because he had never told her his name.

"Salvatore. Damon Salvatore," he introduced himself.

He winked at her, before turning away to walk towards his place at the table.

Elena felt like stomping her foot at the arrogance of this man! How dare he do those sinful things to her! And right under her parent's noses! He had no right to touch her like that; she wasn't his!

"Right, let's all be seated then," her father told everyone.

During the lunch, Elena barely touched the delicacy in front of her. She couldn't eat under the scrutinizing gaze of Master Salvatore. He kept glancing her way; tempting her, mocking her with his grins. Of course he had to be seated right across from her! She couldn't escape his gaze.

On occasion, his leg would brush up against her skirts, making her blush profusely at those wanton actions. This certainly wasn't a proper man! But that was just it. He wasn't a man. He was a monster, hiding behind a beautiful façade.

Though, Elena had to admit it; his face was absolutely stunning. She had never seen a man so attractive before. He was the devil in an angel's body.

"Elena, stop picking your food and sit up straight! You're in the company of gentlemen!" her mother scolded her.

Elena bit her tongue to keep herself from screaming out. This man in front of her certainly wasn't a gentleman!

She ate enough to please her mother and then excused herself from the table, faking a migraine. Master Salvatore made her feel like she couldn't breathe; she had to get away from him!

She rushed towards the gardens and instantly felt better when the sunlight hit her face.

Her aunt Jenna had helped to create this garden before her passing. Elena had been quite fond of her, so this garden always made her feel close to her. It helped her relax in times of stressful events. Well, she certainly felt stressed now!

She wandered around the greenery, occasionally stopping to smell at a flower. When she reached their large pond, she sat down on the grass, her skirts billowing around her.

"I miss you, Jenna," she sighed heavily. "You would have understood my feelings here. I'm bored in this life. I don't want to marry Master Lockwood. I don't like him! But I have to. And then there's the fact that this monster is making me feel things that I don't even understand. I just wish you were here."

Elena stared up at the sky for a second and smiled through her tears. She then got up and walked towards the gazebo. From there, she always had a great view of the garden.

But someone was standing there in the shadows.

Elena held her hand over her eyes to block out the sun in order to see him better. She staggered back when she saw it was Master Salvatore. Couldn't he ever leave her alone?

Feeling anger burning underneath her skin because of him interrupting a special moment for her, she stomped over towards him.

"Why are you here?" she snapped at him.

Master Salvatore remained unfazed at her outburst.

"I was just enjoying the view," he winked, making her realize the double meaning behind those words.

She had slapped him once before, and she felt like slapping him again!

"What I meant was: why is a vampire doing business with my father? Why do you bother socializing with humans? Are you going to kill us all? Is that your intention?" she wanted to know.

She knew she should be scared of him; she should walk away right now and call for help. But for some reason, he only angered her.

"My relation to your father does not concern you. But no, I have no intention of killing anyone…. Yet."

Elena shivered a bit at his last word. So he WAS going to kill them?

She needed to know more here. She needed to know why he had sought her out last night. Had it been a coincidence? Or had he deliberately targeted her? And why hadn't he killed her? It didn't make sense.

"Why were you there last night? Why did you bite me, but not kill me? What game are you playing?" she blurted out.

Master Salvatore threw his head back and laughed.

"Miss Gilbert, I thought I had explained myself when I told you about the fun you can have with biting. Women aren't just for food; they are for pleasure," he drawled.

A shudder went through her body at the way he spoke about pleasure. For some reason, she was dying to have that pleasure again. The way he had made her feel... it was addictive.

She clenched her thighs together when she felt a stirring of lust deep inside of her. She couldn't go there. She needed information.

"Have you killed people?" she asked him.

Master Salvatore turned to look at her pointedly. So that was a 'yes.'

Elena took a deep breath for her next question.

"Do you want to kill me?"

She jumped when he closed in on her, pressing her into the side of the gazebo with his strong, muscular body. He put his hands on either side of her head, trapping her. It dawned on Elena that they weren't visible from here. Nobody would be able to see them. He could easily snap her neck, and no one would be the wiser.

Elena felt her heart racing a mile a minute when he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I want to tear into you. I want to bury my fangs and cock so deep, I'll never be able to get out. I want to hear you screaming my name as I rip into your throat. I want to feel your nails clawing down my back as I drain the life's essence right out of you."

Elena's whole body was trembling as he leaned back up again. Her cheeks were probably a bright shade of pink with his vulgar words.

Master Salvatore shrugged his shoulders.

"So yes, I want to kill you. I just want to fuck you even more," he said flippantly.

Elena's anger flared up again. She wanted to strike him hard against the side of his face, but he caught her wrist just in time.

Damn, how was he able to move that fast?

He kept holding onto her wrist, while he leaned forward again. Elena noticed that something was happening to his eyes. His pupils were dilating. Before she knew it, those eyes where all she could see. He had her trapped and paralysed.

"You will not move. I'm going to bite you again and you're going to let me. Afterwards, you're going to go back to your house and act as if nothing had happened. You won't tell a soul about me," his voice droned on.

"I won't tell a soul about you," Elena's voice repeated automatically.

Master Salvatore smiled at her.

"Good girl."

He captured her wrist more firmly and before she knew what was happening, he slid his fangs into the delicate tissue there.

Like yesterday, it hurt in the beginning. But it quickly changed into something delicious again. She could feel it happening in her belly. That fire, that surge of lust.

He pressed her into the side of the gazebo more firmly, groaning as the change was evident for him too. She could feel something hard press into her thigh and she realised that it was him. His member was… aroused.

He began to rub himself against her in time with his gulps and Elena's head fell back against the wood of the gazebo.

He opened up her legs with his free hand and captured her mound through her dress.

Elena moaned softly as his fingers began to tease her. She could feel that stickiness again, coating her undergarments.

Her hips began to roll into his hand on their own accord and she felt it building again. She just knew that that explosion she had yesterday would happen again if he kept this up.

"Damon," she panted.

She just had to say his name. She had to know what it would sound like on her lips. It was a suiting name for him: strong, masculine, dangerous and sexy.

He pressed more firmly against her folds, rubbing her sweet spot with the heel of his palm.

Stars were beginning to dance behind her eyes. She could feel her blood boiling underneath the surface, screaming for release. It was probably what made the blood taste so good for him. He could taste her impending orgasm.

He kept rubbing until Elena felt she couldn't take it anymore. She felt like screaming her lungs out, but she didn't. They mustn't hear her at the house.

"How does it feel, Elena?" Damon whispered as he released her wrist for a second, blood coating his lips.

Elena closed her eyes, all her nerves focusing on one point in her body.

"It feels so good. I want to explode. Make me explode!" she begged.

Damon grinned at her, before turning his rubbing up a notch. He pressed the heel of his hand firmly between her thighs.

"Come for me, Elena," he told her.

He sunk his fangs back into her wrist and Elena plummeted over the edge with a piercing wail. She felt her toes curling, her stomach clenching and she just knew that this feeling would become her addiction. She had to have it again and again.

After she came down from her high, he retracted his fangs from her wrist, licking the small wounds clean with his tongue. From what she could tell through her heavy lidded eyes, the punctures were just as clean as the ones on her neck.

"Now go back to the house. Remember what I told you," he warned her.

Elena nodded.

"I won't tell a soul about you," she said in that automatic voice again.

She didn't know where it came from. She just knew that she couldn't tell anyone about him.

She left him behind and walked back into the house, making sure her neck and wrist were covered.

No one would ever know about her indiscretions with that man. She would take that secret with her to the grave…

**I want to thank all of you for the alerts, the favourites and of course, the reviews that inspired me to carry on with this story. You are amazing! **

**Please review :)**

**Twitter: Sandy1983**


	3. Chapter 3

He's a monster

"Elena! I have missed you," Caroline exclaimed as soon as Elena entered the Forbes' Mansion.

Elena let her overcoat be taken from her delicate shoulders by the maid and walked over towards her best friend.

"I have missed you too. It's a miracle that father let me go out at all. I came home too late a couple of nights ago, so I have to get back real soon," she told Caroline.

"Well, let's be quick and catch up then."

Caroline escorted her into the sitting room and they both sat down.

"So I heard that you have some good news to tell me. The word is going around town that Master Lockwood wants to court you."

Elena bit her lip and looked down.

"Oh. It's not good news?" Caroline asked at her sad expression.

"Well, he is only doing it to please his father. Master Lockwood doesn't really like me. He is only after the money that a merging between our families would induce," Elena told her.

Caroline sighed.

"Ah, the joys of being raised in the social circles. As a socialite, we have to marry the 'proper' men, instead of the men that would really love us."

"Exactly! Master Lockwood does not excite me. Have you ever met a man that excites you, Caroline?" Elena wanted to know.

The truth was, Master Salvatore had never left her thoughts over the course of the last few of days. She had found herself yearning for his touch again. She knew it was wrong; that HE was wrong. But she couldn't help herself. He had awoken something inside of her. And she was curious to know if Caroline had ever felt that way about a man.

Caroline grinned and was obviously remembering a gentleman that probably did evoke such feelings inside of her.

"There once was someone, yes."

Elena squirmed around awkwardly on her seat. What she was about to ask was usually frowned upon in her circles. But she knew that Caroline wouldn't judge her.

She got up from her seat to close the door so they could have some privacy.

"Why do I have this feeling that you're about to tell me that you have broken some rules?" Caroline asked in excitement.

Elena chuckled. Caroline always got excited when someone did something outside the box. She lived for being a rebel.

"Has anyone.. I mean.. If you don't want to answer this, I'm okay with that. But has a man ever.. touched you?"

Elena turned a bright shade of crimson at her brazen question and wrung her hands together nervously.

"Touched me?"

"You know.. Intimately," Elena blurted out.

Caroline's confused face erupted into a huge grin.

"Elena Gilbert! Have you been a bad girl?" she squealed.

Elena blushed even more and she quickly shushed her friend.

"Could you keep your voice down? My reputation cannot be tarnished!"

"I am sorry, sweetheart. But I am really curious right now. What did you do?"

Elena took a deep breath and let it all come out.

"Well, a couple of nights ago, when I was late, I met this man down by the quarry. He was improper and quite vulgar to be honest. But there was something about him that drew me in anyway. He.. He made me feel things."

Caroline arched her eyebrows.

"Feel things?"

Elena nodded.

"Yes. There was this feeling… Between my legs.. I.. I exploded."

She choked on her own words. They were so obscene! But she needed to know more about this feeling. And Caroline always listened. She would help her.

Caroline sat across from her with wide eyes. Apparently, she knew what feeling she was talking about.

"O my god, Elena! You had an orgasm? O wow! Wait. Where did he touch you? How did he touch you? Did you have sex?"

Elena laughed at Caroline's eagerness. She knew she had come to the right place.

"No, my parents explained sex to me. And that wasn't it. I don't know. They just explained the basics to me. They said it would be my future husband's responsibility to explain the rest to me. But they never described this particular feeling to me."

Caroline positively giggled.

"O sweetheart, that feeling is why women enjoy having sex. Otherwise it would just be something clinical to produce children with. But I have to say, not all men take their time to let the woman have that feeling. Sometimes they just don't care. Sometimes they just want an heir. So this man of yours sounds extremely exciting! But you say you didn't have sex. How did he touch you then? I'm dying with curiosity here!"

Elena felt her heart flutter at the remembrance of how Master Salvatore had touched her. It seemed as if her body was ready for more. Ever since he had made her feel like that, she had been on edge.

"Well, the first time I met him by the quarry, he put his leg between my thighs. And I.."

Elena couldn't even finish it. It was too embarrassing! Luckily, Caroline finished the sentence for her.

"You rubbed yourself against him?"

"Yes," Elena breathed. "And the second time I met him, it turned out he was one of my father's associates. I felt so ashamed! But he never said a word about it. Later, he cornered me in the garden and touched me again. He put his hand between my legs and I exploded."

Caroline was sitting on the edge of her seat with her mouth hanging wide open. It was very un-ladylike. But then again, the things she was telling her were also very un-ladylike.

"Elena Gilbert, I have some newfound respect for you! I didn't think you had it in you! Honey, just enjoy that feeling. I shall reveal that it has happened to me too. I came across Master Matthew Donovan one day. We liked each other. Unfortunately, in the eyes of my father, he wasn't good enough. So we realised we could never be. But we wanted things anyway. The trick is to keep yourself pure for the one you marry. Your future husband needs to be the first one to ever enter you. But you can do other things. A few you have experienced for yourself now. A man can touch you between your legs. Matthew even kissed me between my legs once. It felt really good."

Elena frowned at that. Master Salvatore could kiss her? There? That sounded vulgar! But at the same time, the thought of it brought out tingles between her legs. She needed to know more.

"What else did you and Master Donovan do?"

Caroline grinned.

"Well, I also touched and kissed his private parts. I took his member in my mouth and made him have an orgasm too."

Elena's face scrunched up at that. Ew!

"I know how it sounds. But you'll learn to love it. Men love it when you do that," Caroline explained.

Elena was quite pleased with Caroline's answers. She understood what she was talking about and even told her a few more things about sex with a man. But if Caroline knew so much, did she also know about vampires?

She wanted to ask, but somehow she couldn't. Damon had made her keep his secret. She could never tell a soul.

"I should head back. I can't anger my father again," Elena said.

Caroline nodded.

"Sure. If you meet this man again, you have to tell me. I want to know everything about it!"

"I will. And remember.. You need to keep this between you and me," Elena reminded her.

"Of course I will, sweetheart. Now, head on back to your father before he gets worried."

Elena hugged her friend and let the maid place her overcoat back on her. She bid her goodbyes and went towards the carriage that waited for her.

"Ready to get back home, Miss Elena?" Frederick, her driver, asked her.

Elena smiled at him and took the hand he held out to her, so she could step into the carriage.

"Yes, Frederick. Take me home."

She sat down on the plush seats and enjoyed the view of the landscape outside. She always loved the aria surrounding Mystic Falls. Frederick took the path that lead through the woods. It was shorter and she would be home really fast.

But she could sense the carriage coming to a stop suddenly. Why would he do that? Didn't he know that she needed to be home on time? Her father would never trust her again if they arrived at the estate late again.

"Frederick? What's going on out there? Why did we stop?" she called out.

She moved her head so she could glance through the window. But she could hardly see anything.

The carriage jerked all of a sudden, causing Elena to be thrown back in her seat. One of the horses whinnied loudly.

"Frederick!" Elena screeched.

What on earth was going on out there? She was almost too afraid to go outside. What would she find if she did?

It was quiet now; the only sounds heard were the rustling of the wind in the trees and birds humming softly.

With a pounding heart, Elena leaned forward towards the window again. She craned her head to stare out across the road ahead of her.

"Hello," a man next to her window said suddenly.

Elena let out a scream at the sudden interruption. She crawled back in the corner of the carriage and stared at the man that had startled her.

It was none other than Damon Salvatore.

"Nice to see you again, Miss Gilbert," he drawled as he opened the carriage door.

Elena held a hand over her drumming heart, trying to calm it down.

"Do you find it amusing to always scare the living daylights out of me!" she hissed.

Master Salvatore gave her a lopsided grin.

"I do, actually."

Elena slid back forward again and tried to see past him.

"What happened to my driver?" she wanted to know.

Master Salvatore glanced over his shoulder at something and shrugged.

"I happened to your driver."

All the blood left Elena's face. He.. He had killed Frederick?

"Don't look at me with those judgy little eyes. I am a vampire, Miss Gilbert. I kill people," he said with indifference.

Elena felt anger boiling underneath the surface. This man brought out all the extremes in her. Either he made her livid or he made her tremble in his arms. Right now, she was going to let that first emotion take over.

She flew at him from her seat and pushed him out of her carriage.

"You killed my driver?" she screeched.

She stepped out of the carriage herself, grabbing onto a parasol lying on the floor and began whacking it at his chest.

"You killed my driver!"

Master Salvatore held his hands up to protect himself from the ongoing hits against him, when suddenly he had had enough. He slapped the parasol out of her hands and pushed her up against the side of the carriage.

"Don't be so foolish to try and hurt a vampire, little girl. You might just get yourself killed," he said menacingly.

Elena felt her heart rate accelerate again. This man was a monster!

"Okay, I won't hurt you. I promise," she whispered.

Master Salvatore grinned deviously at her.

"Good girl."

He let her go and took a step back.

"It would be a shame to kill such a delicious creature."

Elena wanted to slap him, but she refrained. She mustn't ever forget that this man was a devil. A devil that destroyed whenever he felt like it.

"How am I going to get home now?" she whined. "You killed my driver. My father will have my head if I'm late again."

Master Salvatore chuckled.

"Ah yes, the wrath of Grayson Gilbert. We wouldn't want that! I'll make you a deal; I'll take you home if you give me something in return."

Elena frowned at his words. What deal?

"What do you want, Master Salvatore?"

He smirked at her.

"I want another taste," he revealed.

Elena felt her heart start to flutter again, but this time it wasn't in fear. And she hated herself for feeling this way!

"You just ate!" she threw at him.

Master Salvatore shrugged.

"Yes, but he has a lousy after taste. I need something more potent and… sweet."

Elena took a step back.

"You can't go there again, Master Salvatore."

He arched an eyebrow.

"I can't?"

"No! I don't know what came over me those other times. But this must stop!" she yelled at him.

"But it's interesting though. You have two options here. You can deny me and I will leave you here on this dirty road all by yourself. Or, you can give in and I'll take you home to your father, who won't be mad because you show up on time, I might add. Your choice. Face being left alone in the darkness and have the wrath of your father to worry about or giving in to me. Tick tock, Miss Gilbert."

Elena bit her lip, contemplating his words. He was right. This was a lose-lose situation for her. She had to give him what he wanted.

"Fine," she sighed.

A huge grin spread across his features. He pushed her back into the carriage and onto the seats.

"Now let's see. Where shall I bite you," he pondered, while putting his chin between his thumb and forefinger.

His eyes roamed over her body, deciding on his spot. Then, his eyes lit up.

"Ah, I know. Right here," he whispered seductively, as he flicked his thumb across her nipple.

Elena's back arched involuntary and she let out a hiss.

"You can't bite me there!" she yelled out in embarrassment.

Master Salvatore just grinned and leaned forward, trapping her in the seat with his body. He placed his knee between her legs, while he supported his hands on top of the seat next to her head.

"Yes I can, Miss Gilbert. And I will. Don't worry. It's a pleasurable place. You will enjoy it."

Elena felt excitement stir up inside of her. She would enjoy it? Did that mean he was going to make her feel that feeling again? Would she have an orgasm, as Caroline had called it?

Master Salvatore peeled back the layers that covered her left breast. Elena blushed as she was revealed to his eyes. She noticed her nipple getting hard in anticipation.

"It seems like your body already wants this, Miss Gilbert. You may scream 'no' all you want. But your body betrays you," he whispered.

He leaned forward and placed a kiss on the milky white of her breast.

Elena bit her lip to hold back the moan that threatened to escape her lips. She would not give him that satisfaction! This was just a means to an end. She had to get home.

But Master Salvatore was right. Her body seemed to want this. As the demon swirled his tongue around her nipple, she almost flew right off of the seat.

"Easy there. You'll get what's coming to you," Master Salvatore chuckled.

He placed butterfly kisses next to her nipple, but he never went for what she really wanted. She needed him to touch it!

Still, she would never beg him! So she dug her nails into the seat next to her to stop herself from making a fool out of herself.

His tongue began to stroke the underside of her breast, laving it with attention. But again, it was not the attention she wanted.

He swirled his tongue back around her aureole again, and Elena began to feel a light hue of perspiration on her skin from holding herself back. Why wasn't he doing it? Why was he teasing her?

When he finally licked her nipple, she couldn't suppress the loud moan that flew from her lips.

"YES!" she called out in ecstasy.

But he stopped again, going back to the unsatisfying kisses against the underside of her breast.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She latched onto his hair and yanked his head back so he could look at her.

"Just DO IT, Damon!" she yelled at him.

She didn't even care how wanton that had sounded or how stupidly she behaved. But if he didn't give that nipple some attention soon, she was going to die anyway. So she really didn't care if her actions would cause him to kill her.

He chuckled and took her breast in his hand, before finally closing his mouth around the nipple and suckled.

Elena's head rolled back against the seat, groaning loudly, as her body lifted itself towards his talented mouth.

It was yet another place to set her on fire, she had now learned. It felt amazing and he had yet to bite her.

"O god!" she cried as he bit her nipple with his blunt teeth.

Who knew that biting could be so.. wonderful. But she hadn't felt his fangs on her yet; she needed to feel his fangs around her nipple.

She grabbed on to his head to keep him locked in place, while her upper body rolled into him.

"Bite me, Damon!" she found herself saying.

It shocked the heck out of her. Had she really said that out loud? Had she really begged for it? It seemed to shock Damon too, because he left her nipple to look up at her.

His shock was quickly replaced with his smirk again, though. He lightly blew across her now wet nipple, causing her to shiver. And then he allowed his face to change. His fangs dropped and grazed against her skin.

"Please."

Elena felt so embarrassed with herself! She had now resorted to begging. She was begging a notorious vampire to bite her! But she was too far gone to care. She pushed her breast into him and he complied with her wish; he sunk his fangs in.

An ear splitting wail escaped her lips as that tidal wave swallowed her whole again. Her entire body erupted into a fire so hot, she felt like she would spontaneously combust at any minute. Her lower body contracted as the spasms overtook her.

Damon drank a few more gulps, before releasing her and licking the wound closed.

"Hmm, I knew that would be pleasurable," he said with a satisfied grin.

Elena didn't even know what had happened. Yes, she knew that she had had an orgasm again, but he hadn't even touched her there this time! How did he do this?

Damon put her breast back in the layers of her dress and sat back up. He licked his lips, moaning softly at the taste of her.

"Now this is an after taste," he told her.

Those words brought Elena back to reality. He had killed her driver. She was only letting him do this so he would take her home.

"You must do what you promised, Master Salvatore," she snapped at him.

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"So now it's back to Master Salvatore? Please, call me Damon. It's kinky when you go against the rules," he laughed.

Elena pushed him off of her and scowled.

"Take me home!" she repeated angrily.

Damon shrugged.

"A promise is a promise."

He left the carriage, making Elena wonder if he would really follow through on his words. But then she felt movement. All too soon, they were making their way across the path through the woods.

When she finally saw her home appearing in the distance, she let out a sigh of relief. She spotted her father in the garden. He was coming over as he saw them approach.

"Mr. Salvatore? What are you doing bringing my daughter home. Where is Frederick?" Grayson Gilbert wanted to know.

Elena stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the two men. What would Damon say?

"Ah yes. Frederick seems to have left his job suddenly. He left Miss Gilbert stranded at the Forbes' residence. I happened to be around and took her home."

Elena watched her father ponder over Damon's words, before he looked at her.

"I am so sorry that happened, dear. What good fortune Master Salvatore was there. You should know that Frederick will be punished for these actions. No one leaves my daughter behind and gets away with it," he said angrily.

Elena sighed. Frederick couldn't be punished anymore. Damon had made sure of that.

"Well, I'm going to go inside and relax," Elena announced.

She curtsied and wanted to walk away. But Damon just had to make her shudder one last time.

"Until we meet again, Miss Gilbert. It's been a pleasure."

**Thank you to Jaana, Laynaa, Mirna and Yvonne (Dutchsookie) for being my smutty muses! I love writing this. I hope you all like it too! Next chapter I'll delve a little deeper. We'll meet a darker Damon and get into his past!**

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	4. Chapter 4

**My dark corrupter **

_She could feel lips ghosting over her skin; lips that belonged to a powerful being. He was a demon; her dark corrupter. He killed people with his bare hands, ripped into them with his teeth. But he brought her to joy with his lips. _

_They trailed across her abdomen now, releasing puffs of air that caused her skin to break out in goose bumps. This man knew exactly what he was doing. _

"_Please," she could hear herself whispering in the dark. _

_His chuckle vibrated against her skin but he never said anything. Instead, he went even lower. _

_She was naked underneath the sheets, she could feel it. There was nothing stopping him from taking her; taking everything that was innocent about her. And she would let him, she knew that. She was letting him corrupt her willingly. Knowingly. _

_She couldn't break the hold he had on her. She wanted him. She wanted every aspect; she wanted the darkness. The darkness thrilled her to no end. She had to follow him; she had to know what it was like. _

_His lips closed around that area that always throbbed when he touched her and her hips catapulted from the bed. _

"_Easy," she could hear his voice from under the sheets. _

_He put his hand on her abdomen to keep her in place, while his lips continued his assault on her nether regions. _

_What he was doing was so vulgar! But it felt like heaven. She could feel his tongue giving a long lick from bottom to top, ending back to where all her nerves seemed to come together. He circled around it, making her coo nonsense. _

_When his tongue entered her, she felt her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the intimacy. She could feel him slowly drawing in and out, making her hips grind herself against his talented mouth on their own accord._

"_Damon," she cried out into the night. _

_Damon was ruthless. He avoided her sweet spot completely now, only kissing and licking her lips. Sweat was running down her back from being kept high strung. She was drenching the sheets. Her head flung from side to side and her hands flew to his dark locks under the sheets, her fingers burying themselves in it. _

_He had to touch it. He had to touch that spot! She knew that when he would, she would finally come apart. She would soar across that edge and explode into a million pieces. She just needed one lick. One.._

"_O MY GOD!"_

_Her world seemed to tilt on its axes when he took her nub into his mouth and gave it a hard suck. She didn't just explode, she combusted on the spot. It was like an intense inferno that took over her body. _

_When she finally regained some control, he was staring into her eyes, smirking. But it wasn't his usual smirk. This one had a dangerous gleam to it. _

_Elena swallowed in fear as his face began to change. Dark veins appeared under his eyes, not quite taking away his beauty, but making the dark power in him known. _

_He had her trapped. His body was pinning her down so she wouldn't go anywhere. _

_His fangs lengthened and she could hear growls coming from deep inside of his throat. Then, he charged forward, making her scream…._

Elena flew up in her bed, her heart beating a mile a minute. When she looked around the room, he wasn't there. It was light outside, making the sun shine through her bedroom window. It had all been a dream.

She could feel the wetness between her legs; a leftover from her the deliciously sinful things done to her in her mind. Her breast felt full and heavy and her chest was heaving with her gasps for breath. She blamed Caroline. She had been the one to tell her about kissing between legs and everything. Her brain had been on overload since then.

It didn't help that she hadn't seen Damon in weeks, not since their hot encounter in the carriage. Her body was screaming for it now. Ever since he had introduced her to that feeling, she became addicted. She wanted it. She had even gone as far as letting her hands wander down between her legs. But she had quickly become embarrassed. The truth was, she didn't even know what she was doing. Not like he did.

It was wrong for her to want a monster! She wasn't supposed to have these preposterous feelings! Why couldn't a decent man set her on fire? Why did it have to be him?

She wondered how many women he had tormented like this. Did he enjoy making them want him? Did he enjoy getting under their skin and plaguing their thoughts? Did he make them orgasm and use them for his own personal pleasure?

She had to forget about him. She was promised to another man.

She came out of her bed and called for her maid to help her get ready to face a new day.

An hour later, she was sitting at the dining table eating her breakfast, when piano music resounded through the house. It made her frown. Nobody in this house knew how to play. The piano was mostly for decoration.

Curious, she made her way to the recreation room that held the piano. What she saw there shocked her.

The man that had haunted her dreams last night was back at her house. And he was playing the piano without a care in the world. She watched mesmerized as his lean fingers flew over the piano keys.

The music he played was heavenly and Elena wondered how a dark and vile creature such as himself could create something so beautiful. Those hands that killed people were making magic now and Elena stood transfixed.

"Hello Elena," Damon said suddenly, without turning around to face her.

It made Elena jump. How had he known she was there? He had never seen her; he had never turned around. And the music had drowned out her approach.

She walked a bit further into the room, eyeing him carefully. He turned his head to look at her and winked, making her blush profusely.

"That was beautiful," she told him.

Damon grinned.

"I know. I've been around a long time to perfect this," he said cockily.

"How long?" Elena blurted out.

The truth was, she had always wondered just how old he was. His appearance would never change, so she couldn't go on that. When was he born? When did he become a vampire?

Damon gave her a lopsided smile.

"I'm not going to tell you my age, Elena."

Elena came a bit closer, examining his features. The fact that he would forever remain this attractive caused a flutter in her belly. She could feel her body beginning to betray her again. It was screaming out in agony, waiting for his touch.

"When were you turned, then? I won't tell a soul. I promise," she tried.

Damon looked her up and down, making Elena squirm a bit under his lingering gaze.

"I know you won't tell a soul. I made sure of that," he said darkly.

Elena squinted her eyes at him. What did he mean; he had made sure that she would never tell anyone? Was he playing with her again?

"Do you still have family somewhere? Are they still alive?" she continued.

She needed to know something about him. He was such a mystery.

Damon looked her dead in the eye.

"I killed my family, Elena."

Elena could feel a cold settle in her body as he gazed at her unfazed. He had killed them? She understood that he was a monster, but why would anyone kill their family? Her suspicions about him were true then, He really didn't care.

"Why are you standing all the way over there, Elena. Come closer. I'll teach you how to play," he changed the subject.

His intense blue eyes stared at her and for some reason she couldn't resist him. Her feet moved towards him on their own accord. He scooted over so she could sit next to him.

When Elena sat down he took one of her hands in his and examined it. Her heart began to beat faster as his fingers slid across her palm.

"Your hands are perfect for it," he whispered. "Long, lean fingers. When you play an instrument, you have to become in tune with it. You have to feel it underneath your fingertips. If you touch it the right way, it will create incredible noises for you. It will sing for you."

Elena was locked in his stare, while his fingertips stroked her palm in the most erotic way she had ever experienced. She had no idea hand touching could make her feel so.. hot. And his words.. Somehow she had this feeling they weren't just talking about the piano anymore.

He leaned forward suddenly and gently kissed the pad of her thumb. The action caused her to release a whiny moan.

But he didn't stop there. He made sure to gently kiss every single one of her fingers, before taking the tip of her index finger in his mouth and started sucking on it. She felt the suckling motion shoot all the way down to her belly, making it clench in desire.

"Damon," she breathed.

"Tell me you want me," he told her as he released her finger.

His eyes bore into hers, burning her with the heat in them.

"I want you," she found herself whispering.

Damon gave her his trademark smirk, before guiding the hand he was still holding towards his obviously swollen crotch.

Elena gasped at his bold actions, wanting to pull her hand away. But he held her there.

"Do you feel that, Elena? That's how hot you make me. I want to be inside of you. I want to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk for days."

Elena trembled with his insanely hot, but improper words. She was actually beginning to wonder what it would be like. She knew it could never happen; she needed to stay pure for her future husband. But it didn't stop her from wanting things from him that he wasn't supposed to give.

He leaned forward suddenly and captured her lips, while still holding her hand firmly in place against his hard member.

It occurred to Elena that they had never kissed before. Yes, they had done other intimate things. But never this. It was beyond anything she could have ever imagined. She had kissed her childhood friend Oliver once. But it had been a quick peck to the lips.

Damon took things to a whole other level where kissing was concerned. It wasn't a quick peck. He almost made love to her lips, wetting them with his, before sliding his tongue deep inside the hot cavern of her mouth.

Many feelings rushed over Elena as soon as his tongue swirled around hers; want, need, lust and maybe also a little fear at what he could awaken inside of her. She had no idea this wanton side of her existed. It only came out when he was around.

It thrilled her to no end.

Her free hand clutched onto his blouse, wanting him as close as possible. Her other hand started massaging him through his pants, his hand on top of hers guiding her through it.

She almost prided herself as he began to moan softly with her ministrations. It was making her bold, kissing him back with equal fervour. She almost started rubbing herself against the piano stool with how hot this made her.

Suddenly, Damon pulled back, breathing harshly.

"What's wrong?" Elena asked him with a frown.

As soon as she had said it, she could hear footsteps approaching, making her realising why he had stopped. They weren't alone.

"Ah, Mr. Salvatore. I am so sorry you had to wait. I hope my daughter didn't bother you too much?" Grayson Gilbert said as he spotted them together at the piano.

Elena wanted to scowl at him. What did he mean with bothering Damon? He was the one that always came after her!

"Hardly, Mr. Gilbert. Your daughter is a lovely girl. I was teaching her some piano moves," Damon answered, giving Elena a knowing look with what he meant by those words.

"How kind of you. I finished with my previous task. You can step into my office now."

Damon nodded at Elena's father and took a deep breath, obviously trying to control his erection. They both watched as Mr. Gilbert made his way back towards his office, expecting Damon to follow him.

"This isn't over yet. We'll finish this some other time," he told her.

He took her hand in his and softly pressed his lips to her heated skin.

"I'll see you later," he rasped.

After that, he walked away…

Elena could not believe how frustrated he had left her! She wanted to climb the walls! If he didn't touch her soon she was going to burst!

It had now been hours since their encounter at the piano. She was pacing the library like a lioness, ready to jump at its prey. Only she was the one that was the prey here. It was very clear to her that Damon was the hunter, ready to devour her and tear her apart if he had the chance.

She had come here to read and relax, but her sex would not stop reminding her of how much she needed that man to give her bliss. She was so high strung, she wanted to scream!

He was going to leave her like this. Who knew when she would see him again? She knew nothing about him. She didn't even know why he was constantly at her house. It wasn't because of her, that was for sure. He needed something from her father. She was really curious as to what that was.

She spotted Master Logan Fell walking up to her door from the window. Her father seemed to have a lot of appointments today. O well. That didn't concern her.

She sat down on the couch and tried to get back to reading her book…

A noise woke her up. She didn't even know she had fallen asleep. But when she opened her eyes, the library was dark, indicating that she had missed a few hours. The book she had been reading had fallen down on the floor and she bent over to pick it up.

Another noise alarmed her and she shot up, searching the dark room with her eyes. She had never even realised that the library was such a spooky place to be in after dark. Pale moonlight was streaming through the windows, illuminating the books in an eerie glow. There were frightening shadows on the wall from the trees of the garden.

She quickly got up from the couch and placed the book on the reading table. Time to leave.

It was then that she noticed two shadows outside of the window.

Someone was in her garden.

Her curiosity got the best of her and she snuck up to the window, trying to see what was going on. Her eyes widened when she spotted Master Logan Fell and Damon. They seemed to be fighting about something. Master Fell was making rushed gestures with his hand at Damon.

Elena pressed her face against the glass, trying to see better.

They were secluded by a lot of trees and bushes. This room was probably the only place they could be seen from. But Elena wasn't going to make herself known. She wanted to know what was going on.

She gasped as Master Fell took a swing at Damon, something Damon blocked easily. He grabbed hold of Master Fell's fist and almost crushed it with his death grip. It made Elena a little afraid for the man. He really shouldn't make a vampire angry!

No sooner had the thought left her, when Damon's visage changed and surged forward. His teeth ripped into the other man's neck.

"O my god!" Elena gasped in shock.

Master Fell's eyes widened in pain. It looked very different from the way Damon had bitten her. But she knew that this.. this wasn't for pleasure. Damon was going in for the kill.

Her stomach turned at the sight. She covered her mouth with her hand to keep from screaming. No one could know that she was here!

She watched as Master Fell's lifeless body fell to the ground. Damon dropped him unceremoniously and straightened his shoulders as if nothing had happened. He seemed unfazed.

She didn't understand. How could this man be so passionate one minute and a cold blooded killer the next? How could someone with an angelic face be so demonic?

Damon's back tensed suddenly and before she knew it he had turned around, staring straight into her eyes. She had been caught…

**A/N: I promised two things last chapter. One: I would show you a darker Damon. I hope I did that with the end. He can't be all sweet and kind. He is a vampire. And he certainly has his reasons for being at the Gilbert Estate. I am slowly getting to that. Two: I would get into his past. I know I didn't really get into it too much. I just let him reveal that he had killed his family. I figured he wouldn't tell Elena anything about his past this early on. It is slowly being revealed, just like his reasons for being at the house. But when I let him say he had killed his family, I was trying to point out that I don't feel like entering either Stefan or Giuseppe in this story. The story is about the slow corruption of Elena and the different aspects of a vampire's bite. I hope I didn't disappoint you. **

**Now what will happen next chapter? How will Damon react to Elena witnessing him murdering Logan Fell? **

**Feed the muse = Hit the review button!**

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	5. Chapter 5

Midnight exertions

Elena stood frozen in fear as Damon held her gaze through the glass of the window. He never moved and he never said anything. He just stood there, holding her captive with his eyes. A shiver ran down Elena's spine. How could a man make everything so abundantly clear with just one look? He could make her scared with one look, just like right now. And he could make her hot with one simple glance.

She felt her heart pounding against her ribcage, waiting for his move. Would he kill her now? Had she seen too much?

A flash of lightening lit up the sky suddenly, surrounding Damon in an eerie glow. It became visible to her now that his face had shifted back to his vampire visage, the dark veins throbbing underneath his eyes.

She had to get out of here!

At the sound of thunder rolling, she spun around, lifted up her skirts and dashed upstairs towards her bedroom. She had no idea if Damon was able to get in the house right now or not, but to be on the safe side, she locked her door once she was inside.

Her heart was hammering in her chest in fear.

She walked towards her window and closed the curtains in one swift movement. She didn't want to see if he was still outside, lurking in the shadows and watching her window. Because that sounded like something that he would definitely do.

Elena shivered and sat down on the bed, realizing she would have to undress herself for the night. Because there was no way she was going to open that door to call out for her maid! What if he was out there? What if he was inside the house?

She quickly got undressed, put on her nightgown and slipped under the covers. So far she hadn't heard from him. Maybe he had left and would leave her alone. She really hoped so.

She tried to get settled, snuggling into her pillow. Her eyes kept darting either towards the window or the door, but still nothing happened. Every now and then, thunder could be heard in the distance. But that was all the noise there was. Finally, she let herself slip into a restless sleep…

A loud clap of thunder woke her up again. It seemed to rattle the house. Dogs could be heard barking in the distance, obviously alarmed by the closeness of the storm brewing outside.

Elena groaned.

She had just gotten to sleep!

She rolled over in bed, just as a flash of lightening lit up her room. It illuminated Damon, sitting in a chair by her window.

Her heart missed several beats and a scream wanted to make it past her lips, but it never did. Instead, her mouth and closed while she gasped for breath. She put a hand across her heart to try and calm herself down. But the fact was, there was a brutal man inside of her room.

"How?" she squeaked.

She became angry at how weak her voice sounded just now.

"What I meant was how did you get in here? I locked the door," she said a little firmer.

Damon grinned, bearing his perfect white teeth.

"I'm a vampire, Elena. I have my ways."

Elena shook her head and looked at the door, which was closed and seemed fine. Did he pick her lock or something?

"A man is not supposed to be inside a woman's bedroom until they are married, Damon. This is highly improper!" she scolded.

Damon got up from the chair and made his way over towards her bed. To Elena's horror, he sat down on it! She quickly grabbed the sheets and covered herself up to her neck.

"You and I both know that I'm not a proper man, Elena. Stop trying to expect me to behave like one."

Elena felt goose bumps pricking her skin at his closeness. The effect he had on her had still not vanished.

"Why are you here, Damon?" she asked in a shaky voice.

Damon looked at her seriously.

"I came here to finish something."

Those words made Elena cower in fear. Well, that was it then. He was going to kill her. He would rip into her skin with his teeth and drain her of her life's essence.

When Damon leaned forward, she held up her hands to hold him off, dropping the sheet to her waist.

"Wait! Look, I know I wasn't supposed to see what I saw down there. But I won't tell anyone. I promise!" she almost cried.

Damon looked at her with an amused expression. He lifted up his hand to tuck a strand of her curly hair behind her ear, exposing the skin of her neck. It made Elena crawl back up against the headboard.

"Relax, Elena. I'm not here to finish YOU, if that's what you thought. I know what you saw. You weren't supposed to be there and I am a little upset that you were. But killing you would be such a shame. I am not going to end such a passionate beauty yet. Not until I've had a little taste," he whispered seductively.

He leaned forward, invading her space. She immediately pushed him back.

"You've already tasted me," she deadpanned.

Damon chuckled.

"O Elena. So innocent. I love it! That's not the kind of tasting I meant," he revealed.

Elena frowned in confusion until it finally sank in. Her eyes widened in shock and her heart began to pound. Caroline had talked about it. She had fantasized about it. But to actually do it..

"I'm promised to another man, Damon," she told him.

Damon raised an eyebrow.

"Really? That makes things interesting. I bet he would hate it if I got there first."

Elena wanted to punch him for that remark! She would never let him. That was a husband's job. Not his!

"Is that your plan for tonight? Are you going to sleep with me and then kill me? You said it yourself; you wouldn't kill me until you…"

Elena couldn't even say the words without blushing profusely.

Damon's finger began a journey, trailing across her collar bone.

"I'm not sure about killing you yet," he revealed.

His finger rested on her cheek now. He softly stroked it, before dropping down towards her full, plump lips.

"Why do you kill, Damon? Why did you kill that man?" Elena wanted to know.

Damon touched his thumb to her bottom lip, pulling it forward a little so her lips were parted and her mouth was slightly open.

"That man pissed me off. Besides, he was going to expose me. I couldn't let that happen. He had to die," he told her.

Elena frowned. Logan Fell had known about him?

She found it difficult to concentrate however, with Damon stroking her face.

"I bet you dream about me, don't you Elena?" he whispered in her ear suddenly.

His words and closeness made her swallow with great difficulty. She felt his hand beginning to play with the strings of her nightgown. It was laced up in the front, covering up her bosom. He knew it and he wanted to uncover it.

"Damon, my parents are down the hall," she weakly protested.

He teasingly pulled on the strings, opening up her nightgown just a little.

"Doesn't that only add to your excitement? You're a hair's breath away from your reputation being ruined. And yet you find yourself drawn to me. You can't help but wanting a taste of the dark side. Just like I can't help wanting to make you mine."

His breath almost caressed her skin, making her bite back a moan. He raised his head to look into her eyes. She got lost in his gaze, while his fingers worked on her strings again, opening up her nightgown agonizingly slow.

His eyes never left hers, as if he was daring her to stop this. But she never did.

The top of her nightgown finally gave way to expose her creamy bosom. Her nipples immediately hardened underneath his gaze, begging for his attention. Would he take them in his mouth like that day in the carriage?

Elena flushed at the memory, her breathing becoming ragged. And he had yet to touch her.

"God, you are beautiful," he exclaimed.

He lifted a hand to lightly touch her neck, before dropping down to an agonizing path between her breasts. When she thought that she might die if he didn't touch her, he finally palmed one of them, kneading the flesh in his hand.

Elena threw her head back, enjoying the sensation of his hands on her. He leaned his head down to kiss her the valley between her breasts, his thumb flicking her nipple.

Right at this moment, Elena didn't care about her reputation. That feeling that only he could evoke in her ruled her world right now. She now understood what he had meant when he said he had come up here to 'finish' things. He wanted to finish their earlier tryst.

He took a nipple in his mouth and she was lost. Her hands flew to his head to hold him in place, rolling her upper body into his mouth. She felt him lick and nibble at her breast, before continuing on his quest. He kissed down her belly, but came to the point where her nightgown was still covering her lower half.

He looked up into her eyes.

"Are you ready?" he wanted to know.

Elena couldn't even form words anymore, so she just nodded. She watched through heavy lidded eyes as he ripped the nightgown right off of her. In other circumstances that might have pissed her off. It was her favourite nightgown. But right now, when he was about to give her that feeling again, she couldn't care less.

He stroked a finger across her still clothed mound, finding that spot effortlessly. Elena threw her head back against the pillow and enjoyed the sensations of him playing with her. He opened her legs wider, dropping his head down in between them.

Elena felt her heart beating incredibly fast at the knowledge of what was about to happen. She wondered if it was as good as Caroline told her. If her dream from last night had been any indication…

All thoughts flew right out the window the moment his lips touched her sex through her undergarments. His hands stroked her thighs, while his tongue came out to do sinful things to her. Elena latched onto her pillow, needing to do something with her hands. She unconsciously rolled her lower body into him, wanting more.

In the blink of an eye, he had removed her undergarments. She was now lying naked before him. It made Elena a little uncomfortable and she blushed profusely. Sure, he had touched her there before. But it had always been through the cloth of her dress. To be completely naked in the presence of a man that wasn't her husband..

She took a few calming breaths, remembering Caroline's words. She had done this too. And it had not ruined her reputation. She was still pure for her husband.

No one would have to know..

Elena's mouth fell open in a silent scream as Damon lightly blew across her damp sex. Even a small sensation like that was enough to set her off. Although he didn't stop with just that small sensation.

Damon flicked his tongue to that place and Elena felt her belly clench with desire. Her hands flew to his hair, pulling him closer to where she wanted him.

He lapped up the wetness that was beginning to coat her down there, before probing her entrance with his tongue.

Elena was beginning to see stars dancing behind her eyelids. Caroline had been right; this was so good! The fact that Damon was moaning while doing it made her feel even hotter. It seemed like he enjoyed it too.

Suddenly, he slid a finger into her passage and Elena's eyes flew wide open. Her legs started kicking against him.

"Damon, you can't do that! What if..? O God! You can't! I have to stay pure!" she screeched.

Damon just smirked at her and continued moving his finger in and out of her.

"Don't worry. This will not break your maidenhead. Now relax. Tell me how it feels," he reassured her.

Elena tried to relax and closed her eyes, focussing on what he was doing.

"It feels weird. But good too," she told him.

She looked down at him just as lightening lit up the room again, followed by rolling thunder. It was a good thing there was a storm brewing out there. It drowned out her moaning noises. She couldn't wake up her parents.

Damon grinned wickedly at her in the light of the flash, before resuming his position at her hot spot. He licked at it with increasing speed, while his finger did the most sinful things to her passage. She hoped he was right; that this wouldn't ruin her.

She could feel him curling his finger inside of her, touching a spot that had her mewling loudly. He stopped kissing and licking her, before moving his mouth towards her left thigh, sucking on the skin there.

Elena frowned. Although it felt good, that was not the place where she needed him.

He didn't stop, though. He nibbled on the inside of her thigh, sometimes laving the skin with his tongue. Meanwhile, his finger was still moving inside of her.

"Damon, please," she whispered.

She needed him to finish this!

It all happened so fast, she didn't even know what hit her. Damon curled his finger against that place again, rubbing it fiercely, while sinking his fangs into the artery of her left thigh. Elena couldn't help herself. She let out a scream. Thankfully, the storm hit full force in that moment, drowning out her noises.

She felt like she was falling endlessly, without ever hitting the ground. Damon drinking from her thigh only intensified that exploding feeling, making her feel like she was losing consciousness.

Maybe she had lost it because when she opened her eyes, Damon was already lying next to her on her bed, looking down at her satisfied face with a smirk. His fangs were gone and the wound on her thigh had closed up.

"That was..," she tried to get out.

Damon tucked a strand of hair behind her head.

"I know," he replied cockily.

He leaned down to kiss her; a slow, languid kiss that had her reeling again in no time. His tongue slid seductively against hers, making her shiver with how amazing it felt.

He took her hand in his, before guiding it down between his legs. Elena's eyes flew open and she broke the kiss, looking into his eyes.

"It's okay," he said. "Touch me."

Elena hesitantly began to move her hand, experimentally squeezing him in her palm. Caroline had told her about touching and kissing Master Donovan's member. She could do this.

Damon put his hand over hers, guiding her movements. Elena could feel him become harder at her ministrations. It made her feel powerful. She was doing this! She was reducing this dangerous man to a moaning, blubbering mess!

This knowledge of power made her feel bolder and she rolled over on top of him, kissing him fiercely. She was taking control. Damon kissed her back hesitantly, obviously surprised by this turn of events. But he let her do what she wanted.

Elena tried to focus on what would feel good for both of them. His body was her tutor and she was an eager student.

She slid her tongue into his mouth, while wrapping her legs around his waist. She could immediately feel his hard member pressing against her folds through the fabric of his trousers.

"Move your hips, Elena," Damon instructed her.

Elena put her hands flat on his still clothed chest. It was actually a little unfair that he was still fully clothed and she was naked. But there would be time for that later on. Right now, there was a pressing matter between her legs.

She moved her hips a little, just like Damon told her. She immediately felt why he had asked this of her. The friction they created with it was so delicious.

She rolled her hips again, making Damon groan a little. His hands flew to her waist, aiding in her movements. In no time, she was rocking her hips against him in earnest. That sensation was pooling in her belly again. God, she was so addicted to it! It had corrupted her. It had made her do unspeakable things with a demon!

Breathy little moans escaped her lips with each downward roll against his arousal. Damon wasn't fairing much better. He was thrusting up against her with all his might, trying to find that same release that she had earlier.

"Faster, Elena. And circle your hips every now and then," Damon moaned.

Elena did exactly as he told her. She was so close. She couldn't believe that she would have that feeling twice in one night!

She rolled her hips into him hard and hot lava exploded inside of her again. She keened against him as her orgasm washed over her. Damon wasn't finished however. He quickly rolled them over and pumped his hips into her.

He came with a loud growl, before collapsing on top of her.

Elena felt like she couldn't move a single limb anymore. She was so satisfied and tired, she was fighting to keep her eyes open. In the end, she lost the fight. Her eyes fluttered shut and she drifted off to dreamland.

When she awoke the next morning, Damon was gone….

**A/N: That was a lot of sex for one chapter, I know. But they had it coming. Next chapter, I'll delve into the plot a little more. What did Logan Fell know? Why is Damon at the house? Elena will learn more about that. Plus, I'll bring in Elena's future husband; Mason Lockwood. How will Damon react to their courtship? Will he get jealous? Please hit that review button and I'll let you find out!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	6. Chapter 6

Courting the wrong man

When Elena entered the ballroom at the Lockwood estate, she couldn't have been more overwhelmed. It was decorated with huge chandeliers and whine coloured draping that hung in front of massive windows. Sure, she had been at the Lockwood's before, but as a young girl she had never been allowed to enter it.

"Children tend to break things," Carol Lockwood had told her, before ushering her into the playroom.

But now she was allowed to see it and it was a vision. People were waltzing on the dance floor, making her a bit nervous. She was a terrible dancer. Her parents had sent her to dance classes when she was younger, but somehow she had failed to have the right posture. However, dancing was required tonight.

For tonight, Master Mason Lockwood would begin courting her, making it public that he fancied her. They had to be close to each other. They had to dance around this ballroom, showing everyone how happy they were to be in each others proximity. Elena was not pleased by all of this. She was still hoping her father would revoke his decision. But so far, luck was not on her side.

"Don't sulk, Elena! Act like a grown up woman. You have to make a good impression on everyone. Be elegant and graceful," her mother warned her.

Elena plastered a fake smile on her face and entered the room, her gown swishing from side to side. She had decided on a deep red colour for the dress. It had angered her mother because the colour was too daring. She said that women on the streets wore colours like that. But Elena had refused to back down on this. If they wanted her to marry Master Lockwood, they would have to indulge in this little outburst from her.

The gown was tight on her waist, emphasizing her delicate frame. Her breasts were pushed up a bit, but she had covered up that fact by wearing a matching red sash. There were diamonds around her neck and wrist, something her father took pride in. He wanted to show off to the Lockwood's just how rich they were. It would only make Master Lockwood want her more.

As a finishing touch, she had let her hair down and curled it. The long tresses were hanging delicately from her shoulders.

As soon as she had entered the room, Master Lockwood hurried her way. He seemed a little too eager.

"Hello, Miss Elena. So nice to see you again. You look stunning," he flirted with his eyes.

He grasped her hand and kissed it.

"Why, thank you. Lovely to see you too, Master Lockwood," she replied dutifully.

She wanted to kick his shin for trying so hard. She did not and would never like him. He was too slick, money hungry and pompous!

Her suspicions were confirmed as she caught him eyeing her diamonds. O yes, hook line and sinker for her dowry.

"I'm hoping you'll save me a dance for later?" he asked her.

Sure, it sounded like a question. But it wasn't. If she said no, there would be hell to pay. By all parties that were eyeing her now.

"Of course, Master Lockwood. It would be my pleasure."

She almost wanted to roll her eyes at her own sugar sweet voice. But it was necessary. She curtsied as he walked away and almost sighed in relief when he was out of sight.

"Wonderful, Elena. I have taught you well," her mother complimented herself.

Elena smiled her fake smile again.

"May I mingle?" she asked politely.

"Of course, dear. Stay with the right people," her mother warned her.

That, of course, meant talking to the richest ones of Mystic Falls; the people that would get her ahead in life. Elena felt like screaming at the top of her lungs. She seemed to be born into the wrong place at the wrong time. She didn't belong here!

She searched the room with her eyes, trying to find Caroline. She was supposed to be here too, since she was a member of one of the founding families. But Elena could only spot Elizabeth and Bill Forbes, her parents. She walked over to them, praying that Caroline had just gone to the restroom to freshen up. She would not make it through this night without her.

"Master and Mrs. Forbes," she curtsied. "Is Caroline not with you?"

"O hello, Elena. I am deeply sorry. But I'm afraid Caroline has come down with a fever. She couldn't come out tonight," Master Forbes explained.

Elena almost pouted. This night seemed to be getting worse by the second. If Caroline wasn't here, who would make this night at least a little fun?

"I'm sorry to hear that. Would you give her my best? I hope she feels better soon," she quickly said, before scurrying off.

She felt like she had stepped into a lion's den. People would be watching her every move tonight. She couldn't mess up!

Suddenly, she felt tingles running along her spine. She had no idea where it had come from. But her skin seemed to breaking out in goose bumps all over.

"Hello Elena," a voice behind her drawled.

And now the tiny hairs at the back of her neck stood up. She knew that voice! She would recognise it anywhere.

She slowly turned around to look into the cobalt eyes of the man that had plagued her dreams at night and had haunted her during the days. A man that had brought forth orgasm after orgasm, while being in her virginal bed with her parents only a few feet away. She hated the effect he had on her. She could feel her heart pounding, her palms sweating and her stomach clenching in desire.

He looked as dashing as ever in his incredible black suit.

She quickly composed herself and pushed her chin forward arrogantly.

"Master Salvatore," she curtsied.

He chuckled at her polite tone.

"You know very well that my name is Damon. In fact, you screamed it out loudly a few nights ago."

He deliberately brushed his hand against her arm, making her falter.

"Don't be so crass! We are in public. You cannot behave this way!" she chastised him.

He leaned a bit closer to her, overwhelming her with his presence.

"So you're telling me that if we weren't in public, I could have my wicked way with you?" he winked at her.

Elena ignored him. She kept staring at the dance floor, pretending not to be affected by anything that came out of that mouth of his.

"What are you doing here anyway? This is a Founder's Ball. An event for Founding Families," she threw at him.

Damon laid a hand across his heart.

"Ouch! Are you saying I'm not welcome? I am, actually. I am a member of a Founding Family," he revealed.

Elena frowned and turned to look at him.

"What? But... You're dead," she stated the obvious.

Damon rolled his eyes at her.

"Sure. If you want to talk technicalities. But I AM a Salvatore. We founded this town just as much as the Gilbert's did, sweetheart," he told her.

Elena shook her head at him.

"There's got to be a master plan here. A vampire wouldn't act as a human if he didn't have a reason. You love being rebellious. You don't want to be a part of human life anymore. Why are you here, Damon? Why do you pretend to be my father's associate? Why do you keep chasing me?" she blurted out.

The corner of Damon's mouth quirked. But he never answered her question. Instead, he stared out across the dance floor.

Elena eyed him with interest. She wanted to know more about him.

Master Lockwood walked up to her in that moment, clearing of his throat. Elena sighed in disappointment and turned to look at him.

"How about that dance, Miss Elena?"

He held out his hand for her to take, which she accepted. She had to. Without looking back at Damon, she let herself be lead around the dance floor. Master Lockwood was good, she would give him that. But her heart wasn't in it.

She looked around the room to see everyone watching them with a smile on their faces. People knew now what Mason Lockwood's intentions were. She could spot her parents grinning like idiots in a corner of the room, priding themselves with this union.

"I am happy that you have agreed to this courtship, Miss Elena," Master Lockwood interrupted her thoughts.

Elena looked up at him.

"Well, it is in the best interest of our families, Master Lockwood."

He nodded.

"I am glad you see it that way," he answered her, indicating that her money was exactly the whole reason why he was doing this.

Elena sighed.

She would be trapped for the rest of her life. From now on it would be an endless parade of dinner parties and cotillions. She would always have to behave like the demure wife.

But his hands on her felt all wrong. It didn't set her on fire. It disgusted her with how clammy they were; one touching her lower back, the other holding her right hand tightly as they danced. Elena began to wonder what sex with him would be like. Would he touch her like Damon had? Would he bring her to orgasm?

Just the thought of it made her shudder and her eyes drifted to search for those familiar blue eyes. When she found them, her heart caught in her throat at how intensely they were staring at her. He was watching her every move.

His gaze seemed to have darkened, as if he didn't like what was he was seeing. But that was ridiculous, of course! Damon could probably care less about her impending marriage. He just wanted her body and her blood.

Their eyes remained locked as she danced with Master Lockwood. She couldn't explain it; it was like his eyes pulled her in. It was like he was making love to her with them. Elena could almost feel his touch and she felt herself becoming hot.

What was she doing here? She was in the arms of her future betrothed and yet she was longing for another man; a man that was actually a monster, a notorious killer!

And yet, she wanted him again. She wanted that feeling; that intense orgasm she knew only he could give.

Damon continued his erotic stare. She could see in his eyes that he knew exactly what he was doing to her. She was sticky between her thighs again, just from a single look. This had to stop!

She pulled herself away from Master Lockwood.

"Are you all right, Miss Elena?" he asked her confused.

Elena nodded.

"Yes, I'm just a little hot. I have to get some air," she explained.

"Shall I escort you?" Master Lockwood offered.

No! Not when she was this aroused!

"That's quite all right. I'll be fine. I will just step outside for a minute."

She practically rushed off the dance floor and quickly made her way towards one of the restrooms this enormous house had. She closed the door behind her and wandered over towards the faucet, turning it on and splashing some cool water on her face.

Her eyes landed on the mirror in front of her and she stared at her reflection. A red hue was covering her skin, betraying her arousal. Her pupils were dilated and her lips were slightly parted to take in deep, calming breaths.

"Get a hold of yourself, Elena! Tonight is about your courtship to Master Lockwood, not about getting hot and bothered with Damon again!" she snapped at herself.

She closed her eyes for a moment, clearing her head. When she was ready to open them again, cobalt eyes stared back at her in the mirror, making her jump.

"Damon! You can't creep up on me like that! How can you be so stealthy? I didn't even hear the door opening," Elena scolded him.

Damon just smirked at her, keeping their eyes locked in the mirror.

"So that's your future husband out there? He's kind of a sap, isn't he?" Damon avoided her questions.

Elena sighed.

"He is not what I would have chosen, either. But he is a good catch and it will help both of our families. You can't be in here, Damon. This night is supposed to be about letting people know Master Lockwood's intentions towards me. If anyone catches me in here with you.." she trailed off.

Damon leaned into her to press his lips to the shell of her ear, making her shiver.

"We wouldn't want that, now would we?" he drawled.

She felt him place his hand on her hip, causing a fire to shoot through her body. He began to place tiny kisses to the side of her face, leaving her breathless. His fingers began walking up and down her thigh.

"Damon, stop..," she weakly protested.

He never listened. Instead, he captured her gaze in the mirror, staring at her intensely, while palming a breast through her dress. He stroked across her nipple, all the while his eyes never leaving hers.

"Keep your eyes on me," he instructed her.

Elena wondered just what he was up to. But then she felt the hand that had currently been on her hip, slide down towards the inside of her thigh. He began to stroke the soft flesh there, drawing circles.

"Open your legs," he told her.

Elena bit her lip, trying to stop her body from giving in.

"Damon, not here!" she repeated her earlier protest.

"Open your legs, Elena."

Damon stared her down in the mirror and finally Elena complied, allowing his hand further access on her inner thigh.

Damon immediately let his hand slide up towards her sex, his knuckles brushing teasingly against it through her dress. His other hand was still on her breast, massaging it.

Elena let her head fall back against his shoulder, her eyelids drooping in pleasure. But Damon scolded her immediately.

"Keep those beautiful eyes open."

Elena found that to be very difficult, but at the same time highly arousing. She watched both of their faces as he continued to rub against her folds with his hand. He stood close behind her, pressing his hardness into her soft rear.

"What would your suitor think about your hellion side, huh? Could he ever touch you like this?" Damon whispered into her ear.

He pressed the heel of his palm firmly into her clit, making her cry out.

Elena began to roll her hips, although she wasn't sure in which direction she wanted to go. His hands were doing marvellous things to her front, while his erection was deliciously pressing into her backside. She decided on alternating between rolling her hips into his hand and swaying her bottom against his hardness from side to side.

He groaned a little, looking hotly into her eyes in the mirror. She had never thought about doing something like this in front of a mirror. To watch oneself was.. stimulating.

Damon began to rub more firmly, making her quickly climb towards completion. She watched her face flush in the mirror. Her cheeks were positively flaming now and she was panting. Damon, on the other hand, seemed cool and poised. It was puzzling to Elena. Here he was, thrusting his length into her bottom and he was so collected.

He leaned her forward a little more, so his length came in contact with her womanhood. Elena hissed as she felt the now familiar friction of them pushing and rubbing together.

"O God!" she moaned.

Damon chuckled.

"Call me Damon. God is so redundant."

Elena glared at him in the mirror.

"Aren't you cocky?"

Damon winked at her.

"Very much."

To get his point across, he thrust up hard, almost making her fall forward against the sink. He didn't give her time to recover however. His finger worked her into a fever pitch and Elena couldn't hold his gaze anymore. She hooked her arm behind his neck and pulled him down, kissing him hard.

She swept her tongue into his mouth, not caring about her wanton actions. She rolled her hips against him hard, while his fingers finished things for her. She went over the edge with a long, guttural groan, feeling the moisture between her legs surge forward.

"Did that feel good?" Damon smirked.

Elena turned around to look at him.

"You didn't bite me," she pointed out in confusion.

Every single time he had come to her for this, he always bit her. Why not this time?

Damon's face revealed nothing.

"I don't have to bite you in order to get what I want from you, Elena. Remember what I said, women aren't just for food. They are for pleasure."

Elena nodded. Yes, she knew that. He only wanted her for her body and for food. She wondered what he would do to her if he ever grew tired of this. If he had taken all that he wanted from her, would he end her? He still hadn't been very clear on that. Which was why she was an incredible fool for allowing him this close to her. But she was unable to stay away.

"You should go. Your suitor must be wondering where you are," he told her.

Elena glanced at the door, before looking back at him, noticing the still present bulge in his dress pants.

"You're not.. I mean, you're not finished," she blushed at her own words.

Damon smiled.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. Go on. Close the door behind you."

Elena's eyes widened when she understood what he meant by 'taking care of it.' She turned a deep shade of crimson, whirled around and almost stumbled out of the room, her heart racing in her chest.

This man really would be the death of her one day! She was curious about it, though. What would it be like if she touched him? He always touched her. What would it be like to see what he looked like behind those pants? Would she dare to use her mouth on him, like Caroline had said she had done to Master Donovan?

Her stomach clenched in lust at the thought.

She straightened her shoulders and went back to the party.

"Where were you, Elena?" her mother wanted to know as soon as she stepped back into the ballroom. "You left your suitor in the middle of the dance floor! That is not appropriate!"

Elena looked down, knowing exactly how inappropriate she had been.

"I'm sorry, mother. I wasn't feeling well. I just stepped outside for a second," she explained herself.

Her mother's face immediately changed from chagrin to worry.

"O, sweetheart. I'm sorry. Are you okay now?" she asked her.

Elena nodded.

"I'm fine."

Elena spent the rest of the night behaving properly again. She introduced herself to the right people, interacted with Master Mason and made everyone believe that she was happy to be courted by him. Every now and then her eyes would land on Damon, who had returned to the ball room. She caught him watching her sometimes. She didn't exactly know what to make of it.

When the party was coming to a close, a commotion could be heard outside. Before she knew what was happening, someone came yelling into the room, screaming: "Fire!"

People became panicked, rushed towards the windows and saw what was burning. Elena saw it too. A small wooden shed out in the Lockwood gardens had caught fire, causing smoke to billow up into the air. Most men immediately began to help get water towards the shed to put out the fire.

Elena caught her father sneaking out into the hallway with Carol Lockwood, being very secretive. So Elena went after them, trying to eavesdrop on what exactly was going on here.

"That shed holds my only vervain, Grayson! How could this happen? Nobody knows that we were trying to grow that herb again. No one except the council! This can't be an accident. A vampire has to have set it on fire!" Mrs. Lockwood panicked.

Elena felt herself become stressed as well. Her father and Mrs. Lockwood knew about vampires…

**A/N: So this was a little more plot than the last chapter ;) I hope you all like where I'm going with this. The courtship has started, but Damon and Elena still can't stay away from each other. If you want Elena's thoughts on touching Damon to come true next chapter, please leave me a review and feed my muse!**

**Follow me for spoilers or updates: Sandy1983b**


	7. Chapter 7

Down by the water

The carriage ride on the way back from the Lockwood estate had been quiet, to say the least. Elena had caught her father being nervous. He had obviously been over thinking the things that had happened at the Founder's Ball. Elena herself couldn't let it go either. She was giving herself a headache with all the things that were going through her head right now.

Mrs. Lockwood had an herb that was important to vampires and it had been set on fire. Had Damon done it? Or were there other vampires in town? The fact was that she hadn't seen him since the panic about the fire had broken out. He had disappeared. Did that mean that he was guilty?

Of course there was also the fact that she had discovered that her father and Mrs. Lockwood knew about vampires. How? When did they learn about it? Did they know about Damon? They couldn't know, could they? They were obviously against vampires. They would probably have Damon's head if they knew.

Elena sighed and punched her pillow to help her get settled. But sleep was still not coming. There were so many questions dancing through her head, but she had nowhere to turn to. She had discovered it before; for some reason she couldn't tell anyone about Damon. If she had questions, she would have to go to him. But he would probably never tell her anything. He was so secretive.

The mystery that was Damon Salvatore might be frustrating, but it was also captivating. The fact that he was so hard to pinpoint, made him all the more attractive. He was dangerous and alluring. He refused to stay out of her head.

She was so curious about him; about his body and what said body could do to her. It was funny how he made her want to explore him when she wasn't this fascinated with her own suitor. She really had no desire to learn about Master Lockwood's physique. In fact, it appalled her. But he was the wise choice; the safe choice. Being with him meant security, all the money in the world and a comfortable life. Being with Damon meant danger, never knowing what would happen one step from the next and the disdain from society.

It really shouldn't be a difficult choice. But Damon always managed to seduce her. He made her come to him willingly. He had never forced her. Did that make her a vulgar woman? Society would sure think so.

Elena flopped her head on her pillow and groaned. She obviously needed to clear her head. She would go to the quarry tomorrow and write in her journal; the place were this delectable thing between her and Damon had started. Maybe she would find closure if she went back there.

The thought of finding some peace in her head made her finally close her eyes. That night, she dreamt of haunting cobalt eyes, surrounded by hot flames…

The trip to the quarry already did her some good. The air was crisp and clean around her. She could smell the leaves and mosses, their earthy scent invading her nostrils. Nature made her calm and comfortable.

It was a warm day today. The temperature of the water at the quarry would be heavenly. It would be like putting her feet in a lukewarm bath. Elena couldn't wait. With her journal tucked under her arm she walked the remaining distance towards her favourite place on earth.

It was quiet when she got there; the only sounds heard were the birds singing in the trees and the rustling wind in the trees above her.

Elena wandered over towards her water and took off her shoes.

When she dipped her toes in the cool liquid, she almost let out a breathy moan. This was heavenly. As the sun streamed down on her, she began to write away her worries.

She hadn't even made it through her first sentence, when a head emerged from the water, making her jump back and scramble to her feet. She wasn't alone!

With her heart in her throat, she squinted her eyes to see who the invader of her quiet time was. When the head turned her way, she scowled.

Damon.

"It's not polite to scare a woman like that!" she snapped at him as he swam closer towards her.

Damon grinned.

"Well, I didn't know that you were here, Elena."

Elena crossed her arms, trying to stare him down.

"Why are you swimming in that water? There are fishes in there, you know!"

Damon's eyes widened in fake shock.

"No! Really? I never knew fishes could be in nature's waters," he mocked her.

He swam even closer to her.

"It's not what a gentleman would do; swimming with fishes. You are very peculiar," Elena deadpanned.

"O Elena, but the water is so cool against my naked skin. It feels really good. Why don't you join me?" Damon offered.

Elena's eyes widened.

Did he say he was naked in there? No swimming trunks or anything?

She gulped audibly.

"Come on, Elena. Live a little. Take off that dress," he winked at her.

Elena glared at him angrily.

"I think I'll pass."

"Suit yourself."

Damon shrugged and continued swimming, doing laps above the surface now. Elena sat back down at the edge of the water and watched him. His body was so extraordinary. The parts she could see, that is. His powerful arms lifted above the surface on each stroke and his biceps bulged. Her eyes travelled down towards where his back rose out of the water and she gulped. This man was too beautiful for his own good.

She looked down at her journal, now lying next to her, and remembered why she came here. She had questions. She had wanted to clear her head. Well, the subject of all of her questions was here now. She could fire them at him.

"Where were you last night?" she called out to him.

Damon stopped swimming and turned her way.

"You just disappeared. Why?" Elena pressed.

"I was done for the evening," he vaguely answered.

"So you missed the big fire then?"

She watched his face carefully, looking for any trace of emotion. She hoped his expression would reveal something to her, but he had a stunning poker face. He remained quiet and impassive.

"Did you have something to do with it, Damon? You see, I heard it was some sort of herb for vampires that caught ablaze. Did you want to get rid of it?" she shot at him.

She raised her eyebrow at him, challenging him. But once again, he was stoic.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a confusing small smile and he made his way over towards her again. But this time he didn't stop. He lifted himself out of the water completely and showed her that indeed, he was completely naked.

Elena flew up and stumbled back, her mouth wide open in shock.

"Damon! Put some clothes on!"

Damon had made it out of the water now and looked down at his dripping form.

"Why would I do that? I'm dripping," he told her, amused by her shock.

He stepped towards her and Elena quickly jumped back.

"Stay away, Damon!"

"That's not what you said those other times," he winked.

Elena blushed profusely, remembering her own wanton behaviour. She stuck out her chin defiantly at him.

"It won't happen again. I've made up my mind, Master Salvatore. You are not to touch me again. I belong to someone else," she said with finality.

Damon chuckled.

"I love it when you do that."

Elena frowned in confusion.

"Do what?"

Damon moved closer, making her back up again.

"You fumble around for your decent upbringing whenever you get too close to letting yourself go. You love the darkness. You just refuse to give in completely. It's okay. I will be patiently waiting. But it's coming, Elena. One day, you'll embrace the darkness in you and I will be there when it does."

A shiver travelled up Elena's spine and she backed up again. But this time she could go no further. A tree pressed hard into her back, making her wedged in between it and Damon. He had her trapped.

He closed the remaining distance between them and looked down at her with his smouldering blue eyes.

"You would make such an exquisite dark creature," he told her.

He put his hand up towards her face and softly stroked her cheek.

Elena swallowed harshly and she couldn't help herself anymore. Her gaze travelled down his body, taking in his proud manhood. It looked.. scary, but at the same time it had brought her great pleasure when it had rubbed up against her.

When she realised what she was doing, her eyes snapped back op towards his amused face.

"Don't stop on my account, Elena. I know you are curious. Go ahead. Touch me. Explore."

Elena felt her heart pounding wildly against her ribs. Her eyes darted all over the place. If she did this she could no longer say that he had seduced her every single time. He was leaving it up to her now.

She chewed her bottom lip, contemplating her next move. The right thing would be to walk away; to marry Master Mason Lockwood and to never look back. But Damon was right. There was something inside of her that wanted this; that wanted to get carried away by his delectable darkness.

There was no stopping it. Her hand moved on its own accord and she placed it on his chest. She took in the feel of him; his pectoral muscles, the surprisingly soft skin and the wiry hair that dusted across his chest. Her fingers dropped down towards one of his nipples and she glided her fingertips over it.

It hardened, just like her own did when he had touched them.

She was fascinated by his body's reactions. It mirrored her own when he had touched her. It made her feel proud, because it must have meant that she did something right.

Something stirred inside of her at this knowledge and it made her feel bolder. Her hand moved lower, across the patch of hair that led down towards where his sex rested between his legs. Her throat became dry in anticipation.

How would it feel in her hand? She had felt it through his trousers once. But he was naked now.

She carefully reached out and stroked with a finger across the length of him, making him hiss. It felt so soft and hard at the same time, she noticed in wonder. Should she continue? She idly looked up at Damon from under her lashes. He was staring at her intently, before he took her hand in his.

"Like this," he told her.

He wrapped both of their hands around himself and began to stroke back and forth, showing her what he liked.

Elena felt a little faint with her actions. If anyone walked in on her now.. She knew her parents would probably disown her. Master Lockwood would never marry her. And yet that didn't stop her. It added to the excitement; the danger that was this man.

Damon took her hand from his member and led her towards a soft patch of grass that basked in the sun. He carefully lay down and pulled her on top of his still damp body.

"You're getting me all wet!" she scolded him.

Damon arched his eyebrows.

"Interesting choice of words."

Elena positively turned crimson at those crude words. That wasn't what she had meant and he knew that!

She smacked him against his naked chest and scrambled to get off of him, but his strong arms wrapped around her form, trapping her against him.

"Damon, let me go!" she snarled at him.

She raised her hand to smack him again, but he stopped her blow mid air and pulled her hard against him, before smashing their lips together in a brutal kiss.

She struggled against him for a moment, but she ceased all protest as soon as his tongue came out to lick across her lower lip. She was lost. Her mouth opened on its own accord and she let him in, a soft moan escaping her.

She felt him take her hand again, guiding it towards his member. He wrapped it around himself again, setting a rhythm for her.

Elena felt herself getting dizzy. She was touching a man! And it felt…amazing.

Damon released her pumping hand, letting her do it herself now.

She squeezed him experimentally, wanting to know everything about what she was able to do to this man. She released his lips to stare down at her actions.

A penis wasn't necessarily an attractive thing, she now knew. But it could bring great pleasure and she could bring great pleasure to it. It made her feel all woman.

Caroline had talked about kissing it, though. Elena looked down at it and wondered if she was able to do this. With a pounding heart she moved lower until she was level with his erect member and her pumping hand. She leaned forward and traced her lips across the length of him.

"Fuck!" Damon cursed above her.

Elena wanted to blush at his crude word. But she knew it meant that he approved, so she became a little bolder. She licked along the underside of him, tasting him. He tasted like water from the quarry and salt and something distinctively Damon. It wasn't bad.

She opened her mouth to let him slip inside and sucked a little bit. Maybe she should just treat him like an ice cream cone. She had no idea what else to do. Caroline hadn't been specific about details.

Spurred on by this idea, she continued licking and sucking him to what she thought was right. Considering that Damon was groaning beneath her must have meant that he enjoyed it.

Suddenly, he pulled her up and off of him, grabbing her hand harshly. He bit in without remorse.

Elena scrunched up her face in pain, gasping at his brutal gulps. But then she felt that change again; that pull that begun deep inside of her belly. She was lying sprawled on top of him, her dress covering their lower bodies. She felt him begin to pump his hardness into her, in time with his gulps.

Her head was reeling from all this and her lower body began to move against him on its own accord. Within seconds, they both had that feeling of a volcanic eruption.

Elena felt herself trying to claw for that precipice that he constantly threw her from. In her orgasm, she realised a few things. One, he had probably deliberately distracted her from her questions about last night. Two, she was beginning to see that he was constantly pushing her past her own boundaries. He was slowly dragging her towards her inner darkness, like he had said. And she was letting him. She was opening up doors that shouldn't be opened.

A dreadful feeling came over her when she realised that she was powerless against this demon. He was peeling away her innocence, layer by layer. He was doing it slowly and deliberately, without her even seeing it….

**A/N: Yay! Damon gets some treats! ;) Elena is slowly feeling her innocence slipping away. How will that play out? How will this affect her courting towards Mason Lockwood and what exactly happened with that fire at the Lockwood's? Keep on reading and please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	8. Chapter 8

Love, lust and curiosity

Elena felt her curls sticking to her neck because of the stifling heat outside. The temperature had kept on rising over the last few days, creating an unbearable humidity. Elena longed to go back to the quarry, but her duties had refrained her from doing so. Today she couldn't either. Master Lockwood was coming over; their courtship had to continue.

Elena pouted at herself in the mirror. She felt no desire to spend any time with him today whatsoever. She wanted to relax in a cool bath, cleaning herself of the sweat that was trickling down her body beneath her corset.

Why did women even have to wear these things? They were unbearable and she could hardly breathe in them. Hot days like this made it even worse. But it was a must in society. Woman of class needed to have an elegant figure.

"You look lovely, darling," Miranda Gilbert told her as she entered Elena's bedroom. "You'll have Master Lockwood eating out of the palm of your hand."

Elena wanted to roll her eyes.

"I know you don't fancy him yet. But you'll learn to love and appreciate him."

Elena stared back at her mother in the mirror, their eyes connecting.

"I'm not sure if I'll ever come to love him, mother. I want a man who consumes me and my every thought," she said dreamily.

Her thoughts drifted to a man with piercing blue eyes. But he wasn't a man. He was a demon. But he had taken her breath away with his physical beauty. It lured her in like nothing else. He consumed her.

Miranda chuckled behind her.

"Love like that doesn't exist, my dear. You've been reading too many fairytales. Real love is about acceptance, appreciation for your betrothed. Real love takes time to grow. The kind of love you're talking about isn't love. It's lust. Don't fall into its' trap, Elena. If you give in, no respectable man will ever marry you."

Elena swallowed with difficulty. She had already given in to some things. If anyone ever found out..

"Come. Master Lockwood will be here shortly," Miranda informed her.

Elena followed her mother down the stairs, left in her own thoughts. What exactly did she feel for Damon? Was it lust, like her mother said? Was it a deep fascination with vampires and what they could do? Or was she falling in love?

The thought of falling in love with a vampire sent a shiver down her spine. It certainly wasn't very wise.

"Master Lockwood has come to see you, Miss Gilbert," one of their maids introduced.

Elena stared at the man that was watching her from his place in the hallway. He stepped forward as she approached him.

"Miss Elena. What a pleasure to see you again," he smoothly said, bending over to take her hand and kiss it.

Elena shuddered as his wet lips touched her skin. She didn't care what her mother said; she would never learn to appreciate his touch on her.

"The pleasure is all mine, Master Lockwood," Elena made her pleasantries with a forced smile.

"Shall we take a stroll through the gardens? It is far too hot to stay inside," Master Lockwood proposed.

Elena nodded at him and reached for her fan, before following him through the doors that lead to their greenery.

The sun was blazing, but there was a nice wind outside to cool her down a bit. She took in the smell of the flowers and slightly relaxed. Even though her company was lousy, she loved to be here.

"I have something I want to give you. A small token that I am serious about my affections," Master Lockwood started.

Elena stared up at him from behind her fan as he reached into his pocket to retrieve a small box.

He opened it to reveal an exquisite necklace. It must have been worth a lot of carats, because it was laced with diamonds. At the centre of it hung of the Lockwood's family crest . It made Elena's face fall. This wasn't a token of affection. He was buying her. The family crest would tell anyone who looked at her wearing it that she was spoken for. He wanted to show off his belongings.

Master Lockwood smiled at her.

"Allow me?" he asked, as he picked the necklace out from its' box to put it on her.

Elena didn't have a choice here. If she refused, there would be hell to pay from both their families. She was trapped.

She turned around to let Master Lockwood seal her fate. She almost choked on her bile as he clasped the dreadful thing around her neck.

"There. Now it's official," he said sickly sweet.

Elena turned back around to face him. The thing hung heavily from her neck. Like a stone.

"It's beautiful," she managed to choke out.

Master Lockwood smiled at her and gently kissed her on the cheek.

"Come. Let's walk some more."

Elena wanted to wipe his kiss away. She wanted to scream that she didn't belong to him yet. But she did. There was no escape.

They walked side by side, until Elena froze as she spotted HIM.

Damon was in the gazebo, talking to her father. Grayson Gilbert was wildly gesturing to him about something. He seemed.. agitated. Damon remained impassive in front of him, listening calmly to what he had to say.

It was then that he spotted her. Elena's heart missed a beat when his incredible eyes captured hers. A ghost of a smile teased the corners of his mouth, before he spotted Master Lockwood next to her. Then his eyes darkened.

"So who created this incredible garden?" Master Lockwood pulled her out of her trance.

"Eh, well. My aunt Jenna did. Before she passed away," Elena explained distractedly.

Her eyes kept flitting over towards Damon. She tried to hide it by concealing her face with the fan.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't want to cause you any stress," Master Lockwood apologized.

"It's all right," Elena told him a little breathless.

Damon was turning her to hot lava again. He had her rooted to the spot with his passionate gaze. Elena tried to scramble for her sanity. What was he doing to her? Was this the lust her mother was referring to? The desire that was screaming in her blood, trying to force its' will on her? The desire that made her want to run over towards him and let him have his wicked way with her?

She unconsciously licked her lips.

"Are you thirsty, Miss Elena?" Master Lockwood interrupted her sinful thoughts.

She gaped at him with confusion.

"I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Master Lockwood smiled at her.

"You seem a little flushed. I think the heat is getting to you. Let's go inside and get you something to drink," he said.

Elena almost wanted to laugh at him. Yes, the heat was getting to her. But it wasn't the heat from the sun. Still, she let him lead her back into the house, feeling Damon's penetrating eyes follow her every move…

"This is going beautifully!" Grayson Gilbert said enthused as he eyed Elena's necklace. "He gave you the family crest. That means he will ask you soon. Your future is set, darling. You'll never be short of anything with the Lockwood's."

Elena sighed at her father's words. She understood how this was exciting news for her parents. But to her, this was hell. The thought of letting that man touch her.. A kiss on the cheek was too much for her, let alone him taking her virginity.

She wanted passion with her first time. She wanted to quake with need. Her mother couldn't be right about that not existing.

Again, she thought about Damon and what he made her feel.

_It's lust. Don't fall into its' trap, Elena. If you give in, no respectable man will ever marry you._

Her mother's words swirled in her mind.

"I am so proud of you, Elena. You truly are a wonderful daughter," her father continued.

He was proud of her? Of what? For marrying Master Mason Lockwood? That wasn't exactly an accomplishment. But apparently to him, it was.

"It's getting late. Get some sleep, sweetheart. I'll see you in the morning."

Grayson kissed her forehead, before retiring to his study.

Elena sighed and climbed the stairs towards her bedroom, thinking about what her future with Master Lockwood would be like.

Yes, she would be lavished in wealth. But she would be good for nothing else accept hanging onto the arm of her betrothed. That would be her duty from now on. Following her husband and giving him an heir. That was all.

She didn't want that. She wanted adventure, excitement and maybe a little danger.

She opened her bedroom door, letting her eyes adjust to the dark inside. Her window was open, making her room a little chilly. On her bed, was a shadowy figure waiting for her. Her heart jumped, before realising it was Damon. She quickly closed her door.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed at him.

"Waiting for you," he quipped.

Elena rolled her eyes at him.

"Look, I've had a long day. I don't have time for you."

Damon stood up from her bed and stopped directly in front of her.

"Yeah, I can see that."

Elena looked at him in confusion, before she felt him reach for her necklace. Her body shivered as his fingertips ghosted across the flesh of her neck.

"I see you are making progressions with your future husband," he said as he touched the family crest on her necklace.

"Yes. He gave me this. It won't be long now. This necklace means I belong to him," Elena explained.

Damon eyed her necklace impassively.

"Hmm."

Suddenly he yanked the thing right off of her and threw it carelessly over his shoulder.

Elena looked at him in horror.

"What are you doing? If that thing breaks..!"

Damon remained emotionless and reached up to roll a curl of her hair around his finger. He softly tugged on it and Elena felt her heart rate quicken.

She watched as the veins appeared under his eyes and his fangs lengthened. Only this time she wasn't afraid.

She was fascinated.

Her hands slowly reached up to trace the changes on his face. He let her.

"What's it like?" she asked him huskily.

Damon stared at her.

"What's what like?"

Elena traced her right index finger down his cheek to stop at the corner of his mouth. Slowly she drew the finger to one of his fangs. It was razor sharp and sliced her skin immediately.

She watched as Damon's nostrils flared at the smell of her blood.

"What is it like to feed on someone?" she clarified herself.

Damon grabbed her wrist to hold her in place and carefully licked the drop of blood that was beginning to trickle down her finger. Elena's stomach clenched with desire.

"I already told you. I told you about the difference in biting."

Elena nodded.

"Yes, but I want to know what blood does to you. What does it taste like? How does it feel as it slides down your throat?" she asked with curiosity.

Damon's eyes darkened at her words.

"It's difficult to explain. You can only know as you experience it."

Before Elena knew what was happening, Damon bit into his wrist and held it out to her. Blood was smeared on it and Elena stepped back.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "Are you turning me into a vampire?"

Damon chuckled.

"This won't turn you into a vampire, Elena. Not unless you die with my blood in your system. And I seriously don't think you have a death wish."

Elena contemplated his words, but still didn't understand what he was trying to do.

"Think of it as an experiment, Elena. If you drink my blood, you'll know what it's like. You'll feel what I feel. My blood is a powerful aphrodisiac for humans. It will get you high, it will heal whatever wounds or bruises you have. It will make you feel powerful," he told her.

Elena watched as the wound on Damon's wrist closed again. He was right about the fast healing. But could she do this?

Some dark place inside of her stirred. She wanted excitement. She wanted danger. He offered her a chance to experience it just once. Before all of it would be over when she got married. What did she have to lose?

Just once…

Before she knew what she was doing, she nodded at him.

A dark gleam entered Damon's eyes as he smirked at her. He bit into his wrist again and held it in front of her mouth. At the same time he grabbed her own wrist and waited.

Synchronized drinking.

Was she really doing this?

She turned her lips towards his wound, her eyes never leaving his. Then, she carefully licked a drop of his blood, testing how it would be.

It tasted better than she had imagined it would. It was coppery, yes. But it was also potent, rich and uniquely Damon. She wanted more..

She grabbed onto his wrist and clamped her lips over the wound. She moaned as the sweet taste trickled down her throat. At the same time, Damon tore into her own flesh and suckled greedily. They stared at each other through it all and Elena's knees almost buckled with the intensity of the situation.

Her belly contracted with her building desire.

'_You want passion. You want sinful danger. Taste it!'_ an inner voice inside of her whispered.

A dark and powerful emotion grabbed hold of her, and she pushed Damon into the chair by her bed. Her drinking never ceased, it only intensified as she let the darkness consume her. She moaned loudly with her gulps and climbed into his lap, pinning him to the chair.

Her hips began to ride his leg, but she didn't care about her behaviour one bit. She wanted to feel the freedom. Freedom of the chains that bound her to this life. Freedom to choose her own path. Freedom to choose dangerously, erotic, passionate love.

Elena could no longer look at him, the feelings too overwhelming as she sucked his essence into her mouth. She could feel an orgasm approaching, different from all the others. It was more intense and came from a place inside of her that she didn't even know existed. It was dark.

Her free hand reached out towards Damon's tenting pants and squeezed him for all she was worth. She wanted him with her as she was flung from the edge of her sanity. She could hear Damon groaning beneath her, taking large gulps of her blood. He had been right. She had never felt more powerful than she did in this exact moment.

She had this demon at her mercy. She was dominating him in this very moment. It was exhilarating. A hissing sound escaped her throat as her orgasm ripped through her and her teeth sank into his flesh on their own accord.

She bit him hard and Damon almost yelped beneath her, before bucking his hips and coming in his pants like a school boy that couldn't contain himself.

As her orgasm subsided, so did Elena's dark side and she clambered off of him, appalled with herself. Her face paled and her body trembled.

"What have I done?" she whispered in fear.

Damon just smirked at her.

"This is why I want you, Elena. I see it inside of you. The dark force. You want it; you want to be ruled by it. I want you at my side. You would truly make the most impressive dark creature to ever walk this earth," he said proudly.

Elena turned away from him, disgusted with herself.

"Go!" she snapped.

She didn't want to look at him anymore.

"I'll go. But think about this when that boy Lockwood comes to see you again. You've got fire, Elena. Fire that's ready to be let out. If you marry him, it will extinguish, leaving nothing but a shell of the woman you once were. Your passion will be trapped in the cage that they have already built for you. I want that fire to burn freely," he whispered as he suddenly stood behind her, whispering his words in her ear.

His fingers slid through the curls of her hair, pushing it aside so he could press his lips to her ear.

"Until we meet again, Elena."

With those words he was gone, leaving the curtains in her open window billowing in the wind…

**A/N: Yes, I know it's been a while since I updated any of my stories. These past few weeks have been quite the roller coaster ride for me. First, I met Ian Somerhalder on my vacation in Spain. Let me just say that he is everything people say about him! He is so hot up close! And he really takes the time for his fans. People that followed me on twitter saw the pics :) When I got home from said vacation, I really wanted to get back to writing but managed to get food poisoning and landed into a car crash all in the same week! I just needed to recover from this, but I am doing better now. So here is the next chapter! I really hope you all liked a little darker Elena. **

**Please leave me a review and let me know your thoughts and if you're still reading this. I know I was gone for a long time :(**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	9. Chapter 9

The search

_What is darkness? Is it just plain blackness in a coloured space? Is it something that blocks out everything good and pure? Is it the presence of shadows, evil and depression? Truth is, when darkness is there, it often goes along with fear. From a very early on, fairytales have scared humans of things that go bump in the night. Darkness is supposed to represent everything bad. Light is supposed to represent everything good. But the truth is, perfect light cannot be created without shadows…._

Elena's eyes flew over the words she had just written down. Darkness. Two weeks ago, something dark had come over her. It had gripped her and had made her do things she had never even dreamed of doing. It scared her to think that it lived inside of her. But was it something to be scared of?

For 17 years, she had been surrounded by light. But the light had become too bright.. too hollow. It lacked beauty. Perfect light could not be without a little shadow around the corner. Sunsets were beautiful because darkness was trying to block out the sun. Sunrises were beautiful because darkness fought with impending light. Darkness could not be without a little light. Light could not be without some darkness.

Nothing was pure dark of pure light. Good people had to have some darkness. Bad people had to have some light hidden beneath the surface. Nothing was ever simple; black or white.

But if she believed in this theory, she needed to learn about Damon's darkness and Damon's light. She needed to know more, before she let him guide her into an unknown place. A place she wasn't ready to touch just yet.

She nodded at her train of thought, set on trying to learn why he was here. It was probably because of an evil plan. He let the darkness consume him. But there had to have been a time were he was good; a part of this society. He had to remember light.

She left the confines of her bedroom and descended the stairs. She knew he was here; she had seen him coming up towards her front door from a window. He had not seen her. The last time she had laid eyes on him was when his blood had been flowing through her system. It was gone now. She would not become a vampire.

Shivers coursed through her body as she stepped closer towards her father's office. She could hear the muffled voices behind the closed door. Carefully, she placed her ear against it and listened…

"We have not found it yet, Damon. This could be it; the answer to everything. I would never have to worry about the safety of this town again. But it is hidden where I cannot reach it," she heard her father say in an agitated voice.

Found what?

"But we have the biggest of them all. It is locked up. It was the master of everything. As long as it's trapped… I'll try to find it for you. But you have to tell me the location of the cell where you are keeping it," Damon could be heard bargaining.

Elena understood nothing of this all. Damon was trying to find someone her father had locked up? Maybe an old vampire friend? That would explain his presence here.

"Elena Gilbert! What on earth are you doing?" her mother suddenly yelled behind her. "Didn't I teach you at a very early age that your father's office was off limits to you? And then to eavesdrop!"

Elena slowly turned around and regarded her mother tensely.

"I don't know what has gotten into you lately, but I don't like it one bit. Your father will hear of this, young lady. Now go! And don't ever let me catch you here again," Miranda Gilbert warned.

Elena swallowed something.

"Yes, mother," she softly said and made herself scarce.

Well, that certainly made her feel like an errand child! But at least she had some more information. Damon was searching for something her father had. But it still didn't explain how she became involved in all this.

Why her? Why did he want her? And why on earth did he want to teach her about biting?

She wandered off into the library and petulantly sat down on the chaise there. She needed to be smart about this. Her parents were never going to tell her anything. They had kept her in the dark about vampires. Or at least her father had. She wasn't sure about her mother. And Damon was never going to reveal his secret agenda. But he definitely had a plan; a plan to find someone.

Suddenly she heard the front door slam shut. Had Damon left? Wait.. without seeing her? Well, he must have a new set of priorities now! Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. No orgasms today then.

Okay, now she WAS acting like a sullen child. She needed to show some initiative here. If she wanted information, she needed to do something about it! She needed to be resourceful. And she certainly needed to work around her parents.

She spotted Damon leaving her front lawn through the window and a thought came to mind. Quickly lifting up her skirts, she headed towards the front door. She would follow him…

Not even bothering to tell her parents she was going out, she stepped outside. They wouldn't notice she had left anyway. They were too busy preparing for her courtship and upcoming wedding.

Damon just disappeared around the corner, when Elena began her quest. As quickly as her legs could carry her, she went after him.

She made sure to remain a few feet away from him. He couldn't notice that she was there. The direction he was taking showed her he was going into town. Was he going to feed on someone? Was he going to drag some poor woman into an alley and rip into her throat?

Curiously, she watched him stride through town as if he owned the place. The man was quite sure of himself with the way he walked. Women eyed him with absolute fascination as they spotted him from behind their fans. It made her feel.. jealous.

She quickly pushed it aside. Jealousy was not a smart thing to be feeling when Damon Salvatore was involved.

Where was he going? She hoped he would at least take her to something interesting.

A man bumped into her, throwing her off track for a second.

"Sorry," he apologised.

Elena smiled sweetly at him, telling him it was okay. When her eyes tried to find Damon again, he was gone.

She looked all over, but nothing. He had managed to escape her.

Darn it!

She felt so stupid. It wasn't a very smart idea to begin with. What was she thinking following a vampire around? The smart thing to do would be to let it go. She needed to return back to her house and prepare for her future life with Master Lockwood. She needed to let Damon go. But he was part of her life now. He had wormed his way in. It was not like she could ignore him. He was up to something and she had this distinct feeling that she was a pawn in his plan.

She took one last glance around, before she desolately turned around and shuffled her way back through town.

Out of nowhere, an arm shot out of an alley she was just passing. It pulled her in, put a hand to her mouth to keep her from screaming and pushed her against a wall. She struggled with all her might, but the person containing her was too strong. This was what she got for leaving the house without a chaperone.

"Hold still!" a familiar voice hissed at her.

Elena blinked. It was Damon.

"What are you doing here, Elena? Is there a particular reason why you are following me?" he snapped at her.

His body kept her contained against the wall behind her. She could feel his hip bones digging into her. His eyes bore into hers.

Very carefully, he removed his hand from her mouth. Instead, the hand latched onto her wrists, pinning them against the wall above her. He wasn't going to let her go.

"What a foolish little girl you are, thinking you could stealthily follow a vampire around. I noticed you there as soon as you left the house. I felt your presence. I heard your heart pounding in your chest. There really is no way for you to get around me without me knowing, Elena," he explained menacingly.

Elena shivered. He was angry. Making a vampire angry was a stupid move. Still, she raised her chin defiantly and looked him square in the eye.

"It was worth a shot," she shot back at him.

Damon narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what exactly where you hoping to find?"

"Anything. I know nothing about you, Damon. You are constantly at my house. You are in cahoots with my father about something. You won't stop bothering me and make me feel insane things. I have to know who you are!" she told him.

Damon's menacing glare turned into a smirk. His free hand came up to touch Elena's face; his finger tracing the soft skin of her cheek. It made Elena's heart begin to pound in her chest.

"O I know I make you feel things. And you love it. You love it when I touch you…right there."

To get his point across, his hand slid down her body to gently cup her sex through her dress. It made Elena blush profusely.

"We are in the streets, Damon!" she protested against his actions.

Damon looked down the alley.

"No one is here, Elena. No one except you and me."

His fingers began to move now, massaging her now throbbing folds. Elena's eyes fluttered shut for a second, before she realised what he was doing here. He was trying to distract her with sex. She tried to struggle with his hold on her, trying to break free. It only amused Damon.

"Keep squirming like that, Elena."

Elena could feel what he meant by that. His erection poked her in the stomach.

"Why do you want me? What game are you playing? Why are you so determined to get me to cross over to the dark side?" she threw at him.

His fingers stopped and he wavered for a second. She had struck something here. She was sure of it. Unfortunately, Damon recovered quickly, his smirk back in place.

"O Elena. Because you would make such a powerful, dark temptress. I saw a glimpse of that two weeks ago. Can you imagine the intense sex? Your future husband would never know of that side of you. I could show you things he could never even do to you," he whispered seductively.

Elena's skin broke out in goose bumps unwillingly.

"That will never happen between us, Damon. You may have evoked some orgasms. I may have touched you. But I'm still pure. You will never go there," she snapped at him.

"But you've thought of it, haven't you? I'll bet you have thought about letting me do that to you. I know I have."

Elena swallowed harshly. Yes, she had…

Damon saw the answer in her eyes and he grinned triumphantly. His fingers went back to work on her, making her stomach clench in desire.

"I will find out about you, Damon Salvatore. One day, I will learn what you are trying to do," she warned him through her moans.

Damon leaned forward and brushed his lips against the shell of her ear.

"When you do find out, it will be too late," he whispered.

With those words, he pressed the heel of his palm against her clit and off she went. When she came down from her high, he had disappeared.

What had he meant by 'it will be too late'? Was he going to kill someone? Was someone dying? Was he going to kill her?

As she walked back home, it suddenly became clear to her that she had figured out one part of his plan. He wanted to turn her….

**A/N: I know you all have been waiting a long time for my stories. Truth is, I have to take it easy. There are some current issues in my life right now that just have to come first. I hope you all understand. **

**As far as the story goes; I hope you like this update. I wanted a little more plot and intrigues added. Elena is desperate to find out what Damon is up to. She will not give into him before she knows she is not just part of a game he is playing. But is he really playing a game? Or are there genuine feelings involved here? **

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	10. Chapter 10

Wrong groomsmen

_Elena stared at her reflection, as tailors fretted around her. She looked.. not ready. The wedding dress fitted her perfectly, capturing her tiny waist and round bosom. But not in a forward way. The dress emphasised her absolute beauty and virtue. It was off white and lacy and had a long train. Her curls were hidden behind a veil. _

"_Oh, Elena! You look incredible. Master Lockwood will adore you," her mother breathed next to her. _

_Elena looked over at Miranda Gilbert to see tears shining in her eyes. _

_Yes, for her mother it was all working out beautifully. She would become even richer because of this marriage and society would look up to their family. But Elena felt like screaming. For her, the wedding dress for her emphasized how much she didn't want any of this. How young she was. How she wanted to see the world; a world Master Lockwood would never show her. He would keep her in these circles. Well mannered. Well spoken.. A trophy wife. _

_Elena wondered how his touch would feel. Would it make her shiver as much as Damon's? Would he take her to high places, before making her crash down deliciously? Or would she be a means to an end? A way to produce children.. heirs.. _

"_I can only imagine how excited you must be. I remember my jitters before marrying your father. It will be so perfect, Elena," her mother doted. _

_Elena gave her a small smile. She needed time to contemplate this. It was really over. In just a few minutes, she would be Mrs. Lockwood. She would have to put Damon Salvatore out of her mind. _

"_I'm going to sit down with the guests, darling. The tailors will make some last adjustments and then you're ready to walk down the aisle."_

_Elena watched her mother go. Couldn't she see that her daughter didn't want this? _

"_Could you all please excuse me for a moment? I need some alone time," she dismissed the tailors. _

"_Miss Gilbert, we need to finish this. You're getting married in a few minutes," one of the tailors told her. _

"_I'm well aware of that! Leave me be!" she snapped. _

_The tailors hurried from her room, appalled at her unladylike behaviour. Elena didn't care. She felt like she was suffocating. All of her hopes and dreams would crash after today. _

_Outside of her room, she could hear the music starting. It was her cue to come out of hiding and marry Master Lockwood. She wrenched her hands together in front of her. Would he be gentle with her? Oh, she didn't want him touching her. The thought made her queasy. _

_Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the room and stared at the entourage to her right. Hundreds of people were finely dressed, sitting in an incredibly decorated church. The minister stood at the very end of the aisle, along with Master Mason Lockwood. He smiled when his eyes landed on her, but the smile never reached his eyes. He didn't care for her. He just wanted her money. _

_All gazes fell on her as people became aware of her presence, expectant and waiting. Her mother and father were glowing as they looked at her. _

"_Elena," a deep, husky voice breathed next to her. _

_She turned her head in the direction of the voice and watched as Damon hovered just outside of the church. He eyed her wedding dress for a moment, before extending his hand, wanting her to take it. His fangs had elongated in the meantime. His eyes were dark and the veins had appeared beneath his eyes. _

"_Let me show you," he whispered to her. _

Elena bolted upright, her heart hammering in her chest with her dream.

As she took in her surroundings, she realised she had fallen asleep at the quarry. The sun was still beating down on her, so she couldn't have slept long.

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and wiped at her forehead, which had gone moist with both her dream and the heat. She knew exactly what the dream represented. She wanted to have a choice. She wanted the freedom to choose between married life or living her life in sin. Unfortunately, the choice had already been made for her. There was nothing she could do.

She eyed the lapping water of the quarry. Not too long ago, Damon had swum in there, before they had given each other pleasure. The water had seemed so cool against his naked skin. She was dying for that now.

Suddenly, she couldn't care less anymore. She was living by so many rules at the moment, she just wanted to break some. She wanted a little freedom, before Master Lockwood would lock her up in his gilded cage.

She scrambled to her feet and looked around for voyeurs, before giving a satisfied nod that she was indeed alone. She stepped out of her shoes, carefully peeled off her dress and finally slipped out of her undergarments. Luckily, she had skipped wearing a corset today.

She was amazed at how free she already felt; no barrier of fancy clothes, the wind blowing against her heated skin, making her nipples elongate with its' gentle caress. She stood naked in front of the cool water for a second, before finally wading in.

It was heaven on earth.

She dipped her head beneath the surface, enjoying the drops of water sliding between her heavy curls. No wonder Damon had done this. The water caressed every inch of her body, tickling that patch between her legs. It actually made her blush a little. If her mother knew that she was out here in the water without a bathing suit…

Elena giggled with her train of thought. She felt so naughty.

She swam a few more laps, before a voice interrupted her free time in the water.

"Well, well. Would you look at that. Miss Gilbert in the water without any piece of cloth. I am shocked!"

Elena glared at Damon. He always seemed to be there when she was alone. Was he following her or something?

"Would you mind giving me some privacy?" she snapped at him.

Damon deliberately sat down, making himself at home.

"Privacy? Why, Miss Gilbert, this is a public place. If you wanted privacy, you should have taken a swim in your bathtub," he teased.

O, that man was infuriating!

"Damon, come on! Leave!"

Damon smirked.

"Nope."

Elena let out a deep, angry breath. Now what?

"I can sit here all day, Elena. It's just a matter of time before you have to come out of that water. The sun will set.. it will get colder.. you have to meet your father's curfew.. Just to name a few," Damon winked at her.

Elena felt herself boiling with anger. Fine! If he wanted to play it that way..

She made her way back towards dry land, not even bothering to cover herself up. As she got out of the water, she stood firmly and confidently in front of him, drops of water dripping down her body. She watched Damon's eyes widen slightly, but he quickly composed himself.

He took his time to take in her form, his eyes languidly sliding over her breasts, down her belly towards the patch of pubic hair between her legs.

"You really are an exquisite woman," he flirted.

Elena tried to remain aloof.

"Would you mind handing me my clothes?" she said in a bored manner.

Damon got to his feet and once again, the smirk was back in place.

"Why would I do that? This looks so much better on you."

He placed his finger at the little dip at the base of her throat. He circled it a few times, before sliding his finger down between her breasts, circling her navel and stopping just short of her pubic hair. He let his finger rest there, looking into her eyes and letting out a cocky little laugh.

Elena tried to look cool and poised, even though her inner muscles clenched at his ministrations. This man needed a taste of his own medicine. She needed to become more arrogant with him, if she wanted to learn about his plans for her and her family.

She took a deep breath and looked him dead in the eye.

"You want it, don't you?" she whispered seductively.

Damon blinked, the smirk sliding form his face.

"You want to bury yourself inside of me."

Damon tried to compose himself again.

"I think we've already established that I want to fuck you," he threw at her.

Elena shook her head and stepped closer to him, smiling up at him coyly from underneath her lashes.

"You don't just want to fuck me. You want to own me. You want to posses every inch of me; mind and body. You want me to be yours. That's why you haven't killed me yet. You've had plenty of opportunity to do it. You've threatened me with it. But you never followed through on it. I watched you kill a man. I could be a danger to you if I ever went to anyone with this information. But you didn't do it," she confronted him.

Damon's eyes darkened and he lifted his hand to fist her hair, pulling her even closer so that their lips were nearly touching.

"Don't be foolish, little girl. I could take you down in a heartbeat, if I so choose," he threatened.

Elena's heart pounded in her throat.

'What_ are you doing, provoking a dangerous monster like this?'_ her mind yelled at her.

But she wasn't backing down.

"Then do it," she challenged him. "If I am nothing but a plaything for you, kill me."

They stared into each other's eyes, one challenging the other to back down. Elena could feel Damon's hand tightening in her hair. It hurt, but she didn't care. She was winning this, end of story.

She could see Damon's fangs elongating, his eyes darkening… He was hissing at her. He was willing her to be afraid. But she wasn't. Not of him. Not anymore.

The air crackled around them, charging with something neither of them really understood. And then it happened.

He crushed his lips to hers, kissing her frantically. His hand pulled on her hair, tilting her head upwards for better access. His other hand grabbed her naked behind, pulling her into him. She could already feel him straining against his pants, ready to take her.

She wanted him. She wanted him like nothing else. She realised in that moment she was going to let him do it. She was going to let him take her.

Her hands gripped his shirt and ripped it open, buttons flying everywhere. Then, she attacked his chest with her lips, nipping at his skin. Damon growled above her; a noise that turned her on immensely. His chest was perfect. All pale and flexing muscles. She licked his flat nipples, enjoying his taste. Damon had been wrong. HE was the exquisite one.

Damon hauled her up again, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, while he slid a finger between her folds. Elena mewled as he pushed inside of her. The heel of his hand rubbed deliciously against that sweet little button between her legs.

"You're always so wet for me," Damon breathed.

Suddenly, there was a whoosh and Elena felt herself being pushed up against a tree. How did he do that? The perks of being a vampire…

His hand continued its' incredible torment, while his other hand went to work on his pants. Elena pushed herself against him in abandon, not caring one bit about her behaviour. She knew in that moment that Master Lockwood would never make her feel like this. If she waited for him to take her virginity, it would be cold and sterile. And maybe painful.

Damon's erection sprang free and Elena eyed it warily. Would he cause her pain? Maybe, but not without a lot of pleasure. She reached down between them and carefully touched him. It still amazed her how something so hard could feel like velvet at the same time.

Damon stared deeply into her eyes as they pleasured each other with their hands. Elena found it difficult to keep their connection as her eyes fluttered shut several times.

"Keep your eyes open!" he growled at her.

He curled a finger inside of her, hitting a spot that made her knees almost buckle. She could feel how wet she was becoming. He continued pumping his finger inside of her, adding another. It made her feel so full. She could hardly imagine how it would feel if HE was inside of her!

His fingers sped up, continually hitting that spot inside of her, while his palm kept on pleasing her nub. It was all too much. She closed her eyes and gave a silent scream as she came violently against him. Before the tremors subsided, he lifted her up and onto his erection.

Her eyes flew open as he filled her, pushing past her maidenhead in one swift thrust. She could feel a strong pinching feeling from deep inside of her. It only hurt a little, the tremors from her orgasm distracting her.

Damon leaned his forehead against her, letting her adjust for a moment.

"Fuck, you're tight!" he rasped.

It wasn't long before he began to move; long, deep thrusts that filled her to the brink. The stretching sensation began to feel good. Elena noticed how each push forward from him allowed a wave of pleasure to fill her body. It wasn't long before she pushed back against him, moaning softly at his invasion.

The bark of the tree scraped against her back on each thrust. It hurt a little, but for some reason it only added to her pleasure. She threw her head back. She was close.

Suddenly, Damon pulled out of her and set her back on the ground, before turning her around, facing the tree.

"Damon, what..?" Elena whispered in confusion.

But before she had a chance to finish her sentence, he pushed back into her from behind. He set up a brutal, punishing rhythm.

"Aah!" Elena groaned loudly.

She was lost; lost in the sensation that was Damon Salvatore and his wicked way with women. He drew her so close to the brink and back again, before building her up slowly all over again. Each time the building was more intense. Finally, Elena couldn't take it anymore. She was mindless with pleasure and the words were out of her mouth before she could stop them: "Bite me!"

Damon froze for a second, but it didn't take long. He began pounding mercifully into her, while ripping his fangs into her neck. She could feel the long gulps he took all the way down where his manhood was buried. It sent her headfirst into the most intense orgasm she ever had. Her legs couldn't support her anymore and she toppled to the ground, Damon going down with her and still thrusting.

Finally, he also came and collapsed on top of her.

Elena must have blacked out for a moment, because the next thing she knew, she was lying in the soft grass on her back and Damon was already getting dressed. She eyed him with a smile.

"Is it always like that?" she whispered in awe.

Damon looked up at her, his eyes cold and detached.

"It was a good fuck," he simply stated.

Elena's smile fell from her face. She knew what he was doing. He was pulling away again, pretending nothing mattered to him. She scrambled to her feet and stood in front of him.

"That's what it was all about in the beginning. But not anymore, is it?" she questioned him. "You came to our family because my dad has something you want. You infiltrated his little club of vampire haters. When you saw me, you knew you had the perfect leverage. You would seduce and turn his daughter into the one thing that would disgust him the most. Unless he gave you what it is you want. But something changed, didn't it? You feel it too. That pull between us."

Damon blinked, but his eyes remained stony.

"You have no idea what you're talking about, little girl. Go back to your gilded cage life, marry the poor bastard and keep your nose out of my business!" he snapped.

He turned around and walked away.

But Elena knew she had him. She had a detail of his plan. It would only be a matter of time before she learned the rest…

**A/N: Yay! I am back and doing better! I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Thank you all for sticking with me and this story. I am not the best replier when it comes to reviews, but do know that each and every one put a smile on my face. Again, thank you!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	11. Chapter 11

Happily ever after

"Don't you think it's time?"

Elena's head shot up in Master Lockwood's direction, her heart pounding in her throat. This was it. He was going to ask her, she was going to have to say yes and her chance at an adventurous life would be over.

"Elena," her suitor began. "I've courted you in public. Our parents want this union. All of Mystic Falls society is expecting this."

Okay, so he wasn't even going to be romantic about it. No 'I want to be with you.' No 'I love you.' Just 'Society is expecting this.'

She warily looked on as he produced a small box from his pocket. She was sure the ring would be lovely. The Lockwood's were known for their grandeur. Master Lockwood wasn't going to be subtle about it, she guessed. The ring would be big enough for the world to see.

"Miss Elena Gilbert, would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

He looked at her with a grin, as if he already knew what her answer was going to be. As if she had already signed the deal. Inside, she was screaming. O, she wished with all of her might she could say no. She wanted to throw the ring back in his face and tell him and his money to take a hike! But if she did that, she would be thrown out of the inner circle of Mystic Falls. And quite frankly, where would she go if that happened? She would be all alone.

Her mind drifted to Damon. She hadn't heard anything from him for weeks now. It frustrated her. She had no idea what was going on in that man's head. Had he really only used her for sex and free blood? She had been so sure about his feelings for her, even if he wasn't. But his cold actions afterwards and his absence made her question her own actions that day.

Had it really been a smart idea to lose her virginity to a man as fickle as Damon Salvatore? He had never offered her anything. He hadn't promised to take her with him on adventures. He hadn't once said he fancied her. The only remark he had ever made regarding his feelings towards her was: "I want to fuck you." Well, he got his wish. Would her future husband notice her absent virginity once he took possession of her body?

"Elena, come on! Don't leave me hanging," Master Lockwood snapped, taking her back to the present.

Right, this man offered her everything a girl should want out of life. But she didn't want it. She wanted things no girl in these circles could ever have. She choked as she opened her mouth, producing a word that for her would mean her downfall. But she had no choice.

"Yes."

Master Lockwood's sickening grin reached his eyes as he took the ring out of its' box. Elena's stomach clenched as she watched the ring sparkle in the sun; it was a silver band with a sapphire, surrounded by small diamonds.

As her now betrothed slipped it on her finger, she wanted to weep. But not out of joy.

"There, that's settled. You will make a lovely wife, Elena. May I kiss you?"

They had never kissed. It would only be fair of her to say yes. After all, they were now engaged. Soon, he got to do as he wished with her anyway.

She slowly nodded and watched in utter despair as he brought his lips closer to hers. Would it feel the same as with Damon? She sincerely doubted it.

The moment Master Mason Lockwood's lips touched hers, her insides revolted. Her hands clenched at her sides as her betrothed took her face in his hands and his mouth nudged against hers. It was too wet, too calculated, too much of the wrong man. She wanted to punch her fists against his chest in an attempt to stop him. Master Lockwood never took in her distress as he proceeded to slide his tongue between her lips, eliciting a small moan from the back of his throat.

Elena felt tears prick in her eyes. If this was how awful she felt with a simple kiss, what would their wedding night be like?

Finally, he released her. He smiled down at her, clasping her hand in his and kissing it.

"Come, let's go and tell your father the good news…"

To say that Grayson Gilbert was pleased was the understatement of the year. He immediately sent word to all of Mystic Falls' society and ordered for a celebration. And it wasn't a small celebration either. Elena looked on as the Gilbert mansion filled up with people she hardly knew, but was sure were very important in the town's eyes.

She stood sulking in a corner, wearing a dark blue dress that left the shoulders bare. Her hair was curling loose down the side of her head. Her mother had said she looked stunning. However, Elena felt like a showcase tonight.

"I guess I won't ask you how you feel," a female voice joked next to her suddenly.

Elena immediately brightened up considerably at the sight of her best friend. She could sure use Caroline in situations like these. As children, whenever there was a boring party their parents were hosting, they would sneak off and get into worlds of mischief together. There had actually been a time Elena's parents were so annoyed with Caroline's influence over her, that they had threatened to the Forbes' to ban Caroline from their life if they didn't get their daughter's act together.

"I just wish we were children again and we could abandon this dreadful charade," Elena explained.

"Don't worry. I will join you in this wedding mess soon. I've heard my parents talking to Master Jeffrey Hamilton Lockwood. He wants to marry me."

Elena's eyes widened.

"Master Mason's horrible distant cousin?"

Caroline laughed humourlessly.

"That's the one. You know, at least you got an eye catcher out of this deal. And maybe he will treat you right. Jeffrey, on the other hand…"

Elena spotted tears appearing at the corners of Caroline's eyes. She immediately hugged her friend and prayed that the Forbes' would turn Master Hamilton Lockwood down.

"You know, on the bright side, we'll marry into the same family. We could get together on social gatherings and Christmas parties and such," she tried to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, maybe.."

"Miss Gilbert? I hear congratulations are in order," an all too familiar voice interrupted them.

Elena felt it was him, before she even turned her head. It was in the way her heart started pounding, her skin started prickling with his nearness and her legs threatened to give way. She slowly turned his way, being careful as to not show her feelings to anyone. This room was filled with people that would drop her like a hat if they learned of her relations with this man.

"Master Salvatore, how do you do?" she made with the pleasantries.

Damon took her hand in his and softly kissed her knuckles, causing Elena's throat to become dry. She should be angry at this man. She should stomp on his foot or kick his shin for having sex with her and then abandoning her. Instead, her heart seemed awfully pleased to see him again.

Something danced in Damon's eyes. It was dark and seductive. She quickly looked away before she betrayed herself.

"I was hoping to catch a dance with you, since we missed the opportunity the last time we attended a party together," Damon told her.

Elena could feel Caroline's eyes burning into her with curiosity. She was obviously interested in how they knew each other.

She wanted to decline Damon. She had no idea what his agenda was this time. But something in his eyes made her reconsider. It was like he was pleading with her. It was a look she had never seen on him. So she gently placed her hand in his and accepted.

He guided her onto the dance floor, just as a slow song started playing. Elena knew this dance. It was all about the near touch. Was it even appropriate of her to be dancing like this with a man that wasn't her betrothed? She looked around her and saw her mother dancing with her uncle. So she guessed it was fine.

On cue, she lifted her hand to Damon's and they started circling around each other. Elena felt she could not take her eyes off of his crystal stare. It was like he was hypnotising her. When they finished circling each other, she lifted her other hand to his and repeated the process. She could feel the electricity zapping between them. Even though she already had sex with him, the near touch was sinfully erotic.

She now lifted both of her hands to his, and they circled each other one last time. A small smile played on Damon's lips as he watched her. And then he pulled her close; one of his hand on the small of her back, the other one clasping hers in a dancing position. And then he guided her across the dance floor. She had no idea he could dance so well. He moved so gracefully with her in his arms. Their bodies seemed almost in tune with each other. Elena felt as if the whole world was fading away as he held her in his embrace. She could do nothing but follow him, keeping her gaze transfixed on his.

As the final notes of the song were played, she was almost sorry. For a moment there, she was in a perfect bubble, where her impending marriage never existed. And then reality crashed through the door.

"May I cut in?"

Elena nearly scowled at her betrothed. Did he always have to ruin everything?

She could feel the anger coming from Damon in waves. Clearly, the man was used to getting his own way. But in this case, there was nothing he could do but lose. Elena knew that if he refused to give her over to her future husband, there would be hell to pay. His plan, whatever it was, would fail, because her father would kick him out of his inner circle.

She watched the conflicting emotions on Damon's face. His jaw was set in a hard line as he stared down her betrothed. Master Mason raised an eyebrow at Damon's behaviour. It was almost like a contest and she was the prize.

Finally, Damon let up. His eyes left Master Lockwood's to focus on hers instead.

"Miss Gilbert, it's been a pleasure. I'll see you around," he formally told her.

He kissed her hand again and winked at her, clearly not caring about the presence of her future husband. The man loved to provoke. She almost wanted to roll her eyes at him as he turned around and walked away.

Master Lockwood took her in his arms and swayed with her to the music.

"Something about that man is very unsettling," he scowled.

Elena looked at him innocently.

"He's just my father's associate. Nothing for you to worry about."

After her round on the dance floor, Elena headed back to Caroline, who immediately pulled her away from all of the festivities and into the library room.

"That was him, wasn't it?" she blurted out.

Elena frowned at her.

"Don't play innocent with me, Elena Gilbert! I have never seen you eye a man the way you were eyeing him. He's the one who's been teaching you about pleasure and all other naughty things isn't he?"

"Caroline..," Elena started.

Caroline broke out into a grin.

"That is one beautiful man, Elena! Well done, you! Where did you find him?" she rambled on.

"He's my father's business associate. He is around the premises a lot."

Caroline clapped her hands in glee.

"He looks like he definitely knows what he's doing. I'll bet he's the perfect teacher," she winked at her friend.

Elena looked down at the ground, knowing full well that the things he taught her were so risqué, not even Caroline would approve.

"You're blushing! O my, he IS good! Tell me. I want some gossip to cheer me up."

Elena bit her lip, contemplating on telling her friend just how good of a teacher Damon was. He taught her everything.

"We did it," she therefore mumbled.

Caroline's smile fell.

"I'm sorry. What?"

Elena sat down next to her friend and sighed.

"We did it. It's done. I'm no longer a virgin."

Silence hung heavily in the room as Caroline's mouth opened and closed without any sound ever being produced. It was making Elena nervous. Caroline was hardly ever speechless.

"Elena…"

"I know. It was stupid. I'm promised to someone else. Damon hasn't made any commitments whatsoever and my future husband might find out."

Caroline shook her head.

"Not just that. I'm afraid of what Master Lockwood might do when he learns of this. When you give yourself to him on your wedding night, you will be his to do with as he pleases. You will be his possession. Nobody would be able to stop him if he decided to punish you. And he will punish you, Elena. A man expects a virgin. He doesn't want to be humiliated by the fact that another man has taken what is rightfully his. I'm worried," she explained.

Elena swallowed hard.

"I know. But I can take it. At least I had the experience of what sex can be like with someone that you genuinely want."

"I can't believe you had sex before me!" Caroline blurted out.

Elena chuckled. THAT was the Caroline she knew and loved.

"I want details! What was it like? Did it hurt?"

"It was… perfect. It hardly hurt at all. Besides, it was worth it."

Caroline sighed dreamily.

"I want that too.. Just be careful, Elena."

"I will."

After a few minutes of hiding out from the party and gossiping, they decided it was time to head back before anyone missed them. Caroline stepped out first. They would really hate it if their parents went ballistic on them again like they did when they were children, if they were seen skipping the party together. So they went their separate ways.

When it was time for Elena to head out, someone pushed her back into the library room, forcing her up against the wall. Before she even had time to say anything, firm lips planted themselves on her mouth, silencing her.

She knew that mouth anywhere. She had tasted it dozens of times before.

"Damon!" she moaned into his mouth.

It took a moment for her to remember just how horrible he had treated her after the last time, and she quickly pulled back once the memory set back in.

"Don't do that! You treated me awfully; I don't hear from you for weeks and now you suddenly want back in? No, Damon!" she snapped.

Damon tried to dismiss her and go for her lips again, but she pushed at his chest. He growled low in his throat at her rejection.

"Do you know just how crazy you drive me?" he purred. "Do you know how much I don't want to feel for you? When I saw that man's hands on you… when he cut in on our dance… I wanted to rip out his spleen through his throat. It took every ounce of my will not to do it."

Elena blinked up at him.

"Nice imagery," she deadpanned.

"You are the biggest threat I have ever encountered. And you're just an almost eighteen year old girl! What a joke!" he laughed at himself.

Elena wanted to push past him.

"I'm sorry I'm such a joke to you," she spat.

Damon grabbed her arm and reeled her back in, pushing her up against the wall once more.

"I'm going to have you, Elena. Stop fighting me," he told her.

His mouth descended on hers again, urging her to let him in. She squirmed against him in defiance for a moment, before eventually giving up. She clasped her arms around his neck and enjoyed how different his tongue felt in her mouth, compared to her future husband.

Damon lifted her off the ground and pushed her up against a stack of books, causing some of them to clatter to the ground. His lips suckled on her pulse point, making Elena weak in the knees. He was ferocious, as if proving a point. His hand slid down her bodice towards the V between her legs. Elena parted her legs for him, mewling as his fingers began to stroke her.

"This is going to be hard and fast, baby," Damon rasped.

Elena didn't care. As long as he kept doing what he was doing.

His tongue licked a path between the valley of her breasts that were pushed up as if offered to him. Elena's hand latched onto the bookcase behind her as Damon drove her to the brink.

He pushed the fabric of her dress down, exposing a breast to him, and gently began to tug on her nipple with his teeth.

"This is mine," he whispered.

Elena moaned in agreement. His hand then went back to work on her sex, making her tremble in his arms.

"This is mine," he repeated.

She could hear Damon working on his pants, taking his cock out. Wasn't he going to take his clothes off?

Apparently not.

He lifted the skirts of her dress and in one swift move, took off her undergarments, leaving her naked from the waist down.

"Let's see if you're ready for me," he breathed next to her ear.

He lifted a hand to her sex and slowly pushed a finger in, stretching her.

"You're always so deliciously wet, baby."

Elena turned crimson with what he did next. He took out his finger and licked it clean, enjoying the salty taste of her.

"That is also mine," he simply told her.

She buried her face in his neck, embarrassed, but he pulled her back and looked into her eyes.

"Don't hide from me. I want to see you."

Finally, he lifted her so she could wrap her legs around him. She could feel him nudging at her opening, making her stomach clench violently in desire. She was going to do this again with him.

He roughly pushed into her, filling her to the hilt. He made good on his promise to take her hard and fast, giving her only a few seconds to adjust to the size of him, before beginning a series of hard thrusts.

It was just as she remembered it from the last time…heavenly. It didn't hurt at all, in spite of the fact that he was anything but gentle with her. His fingers dug into her buttocks as he plunged forward, again and again.

When she could feel an orgasm building, it dawned on her. He was claiming her in utter and complete jealousy. The thought put a smile to her face.

" .Mine!" he snarled as a final sharp thrust sent her reeling.

The world went black.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a loud banging on the door. Someone was pounding it relentlessly. Elena's eyes shot up to Damon's in fear.

"What the heck is going on in there?!" a voice yelled.

Then, the door opened..

**Please review!**

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	12. Chapter 12

Part of the plan

Elena froze.

She watched the door opening in slow motion. Who was on the other side? Who would catch her and Damon in the act?

Damon worked at super speed, getting her dressed and decent in no time; one of the many perks of being a vampire. He managed to make this room it look like nothing had ever happened. The only thing that might give them away was Elena's flushed face and hard breathing.

Damon sped over towards the other side of the room, flopping down on the couch as the door finally opened to reveal Elena's father.

Elena couldn't have been more mortified. Here she was, still feeling the aftershocks of her orgasm, and her father came barging in!

Grayson Gilbert eyed the scene in front of him warily. His gaze travelled from Elena over to Damon and back, obviously not sure what to make of all this.

"I heard my daughter moaning in here. Would you mind telling me what that was all about?" he pressed, narrowing his eyes at Damon.

Damon never flinched. He met her father's face head on.

"Miss Elena was not feeling well, Mr. Gilbert,' he explained.

Both, Damon and Mr. Gilbert turned their heads in Elena's direction. Her father's gaze was concerned; frustrated and maybe slightly angry. Damon's remained just blank. He had the perfect poker face. But then again, he always had a poker face. She never knew what he was thinking or feeling.

"Are you okay?" her father asked, assessing her flushed frame. "It sounded like you were in pain."

Elena almost choked at his words. In pain? O no, it wasn't pain, but something else entirely.

Damon seemed amused about her father's choice of words. His eyebrows had shot up and he was eying her playfully, almost daring her to reveal that it hadn't been pain but pleasure.

"I had a pretty bad stomach ache, father," Elena whispered.

Mr. Gilbert nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer.

"Do you need me to send for the doctor?" he asked.

Elena shook her head.

"I'm okay now. The ache is gone."

She watched her father raising his hand to his chin, rubbing it as if contemplating something. He seemed very displeased with something.

"I am glad you are feeling better, Elena. And I appreciate Mr. Salvatore's help. However, you are now an engaged woman. Whenever you need something, you have to go and see your fiancé. I cannot fathom how other people would react to finding you in here alone with another man. It is highly frowned upon. You can't be alone with strange men who aren't family," Mr. Gilbert stated. "I also find it concerning that whenever I turn away, I keep seeing the two of you together. Frederick mysteriously disappears, Mr. Salvatore takes you home. I come to look for Mr. Salvatore and I find the two of you together sitting at my piano. I throw you a party so you can show off your fiancé and yet you dance with Mr. Salvatore. Do you see where I'm going with this? And now this."

He waved his hand around to address the situation in the room.

"People will talk, Elena. I don't want the two of you to be seen together anymore. I don't even want you in the same vicinity as each other."

Elena frowned.

Her father was telling her she couldn't be in the same room as Damon? What was that all about?

"Who's talking, father?" she wanted to know.

Mr. Gilbert narrowed his eyes.

"Do you really think that your little dance out there went unnoticed? I suggest you go and find your betrothed to make things right. Dance with HIM. People need to see who my daughter is marrying. Go!"

Elena opened her mouth to say something, but her father's warning glare made the words die on her tongue.

She quickly curtsied both men, mumbling "Yes, father," before hurrying out the door. She looked back one last time to see her father closing the door behind her, leaving him and Damon alone in the room. She honestly wasn't sure who she should be more worried about; Damon, for probably getting her father in his face right about now, or her father, because she had left him alone with a vampire…

"Where have you been?" Master Mason positively snapped at her.

He was in a foul mood, gripping her upper arm in a painful clasp. His nails bit into her skin.

"Master Lockwood, you're hurting me," she hissed softly, trying not to attract the attention of the guests. The last thing they needed was another reason for people to start talking. Her father would not be so gentle next time.

"This is supposed to be our engagement party and yet you dance with another man! Do you know how I felt when people started talking and pointing at me, mocking me? I want an obedient wife, Elena. The last thing I need is a woman causing my reputation to be in shards!"

Elena looked to where her mother was standing, watching them intently. Her expression was very disapproving, but not because of Master Lockwood's treatment of her. No, the disapproving look was meant for her.

She looked down, embarrassed.

"I'm sorry," she quietly whispered, keeping her eyes cast downward.

The submissive position she had put herself in now, caused her entire body to scream in agony. Was this really what she was supposed to do? Was she born to please her father, her mother and her husband? Was that all that she was meant for?

"Don't do it again! Now dance with me. We have some damages to repair," Master Lockwood told her.

She let herself be led onto the dance floor for the second time that night. Only now, her heart wasn't in it. Her eyes found Damon's as soon as he arrived back at the party with her father in tow. She was relieved that the two hadn't killed each other. But something was off. Her father's cranky scowl had been replaced by a full blown smile. And he was friendly with Damon. They couldn't have talked things out that much, could they?

A cold feeling came over her when she realised Damon must have done something. He had done something to her father.

Damon's face, of course, revealed nothing. He watched her intently, as she swayed across the dance floor with her husband to be.

When the dance was over, she realised she needed to talk to Damon. But how? If she wounded up alone with him again, her father would have her head!

Luckily, Caroline always came in useful. She just happened to walk by when an idea came to Elena's mind. She grabbed her best friend by her arm and dragged her into a corner.

"Dear lord, Elena! I know I lack certain manners but that was almost cavewoman like!" Caroline snapped at her.

"I'm sorry. But I really need your help. Could you please go over to Damon and ask him to meet me at the gazebo in a few minutes?" Elena pleaded.

Caroline's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Are you insane?! When I got back from our slip of the party, people were seriously talking about you and him. Master Lockwood was furious! Maybe it's better to stay clear of Damon for a few days until this all dies down."

Elena shook her head.

"Something is going on. I need to know what. Please, Caroline! I'll be careful."

Caroline contemplated things for a second, before pushing a finger in Elena's face.

"You owe me!"

With those words, she stalked off to find Damon.

Elena smiled at her friend. She knew she could always count on her.

A few minutes later, she found herself standing in the dark shadows of the gazebo. The air was crisp and quiet. It was almost scary to be out here alone with the darkness creeping all over the garden. It made Elena think back to that night when Damon had killed Master Logan Fell. His face had looked so scary. Sure, she had seen his demonic face before and since, but towards her it was only filled with lust and want. That night, pure rage had come over him. He could indeed be the monster that he physically appeared to be.

Suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind in a vice like grip. The arms were too strong to escape, and Elena almost wanted to scream when she realised only one person could have been so stealthy in sneaking up on her.

"You are a jerk! Are you aware of that?" she scolded him.

Damon chuckled behind her.

"I couldn't resist. Speaking of not resisting…"

His lips made a trail from her earlobe towards her neck, making her shiver with want.

Again? They had just… Wait, that's not why she had brought him out here. So she poked her elbow into his ribs.

"I'm not here for that, Damon."

"Really? I thought with the way you had your friend seek me out and order me to come outside that you wanted.."

"I don't," she interrupted him. "What have you done to my father, Damon?"

She turned around just in time to see his eyebrows shooting up.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he told her.

Elena pushed against his chest but because of his strength, of course, he wouldn't budge.

"I'm talking about the fact that my father seemed about ready to have you fired and thrown out of the house back in the library room, and now you are best friends again. My father is not someone who budges easily. You must have done something," she accused him.

Damon closed in on her, pressing her into the wall with his body weight. He put his hands on the wall next to her head, trapping her.

This brought back memories…..

"And what do you suppose I did to him?" he drawled.

Elena shook her head.

He was deliberately seducing her; distracting her. She wasn't going to fall for it. Not this time!

"You're a vampire. You can do things that boggle my mind. So it isn't that far of a stretch to draw the conclusion that you have my father under your spell."

Damon burst out laughing, throwing his head back.

"Spell? O Elena, you read too many of your sappy books."

Elena began to get mad.

"Don't mock me, Damon! Now tell me, or I'll tell my father that you're a vampire!"

The playfulness disappeared from Damon's eyes and he trapped her with his cold, dead stare.

"I'd like to see you try," he hissed.

"And just what is that supposed to mean? Are you going to hurt me? I think we've already established that you have some troubles with that! You've had plenty of opportunities. And yet all you seem to be capable of doing is getting inside of me in a jealous fit!"

Damon laughed haughtily.

"Jealous? Please, I don't DO jealousy. I just don't like other people playing with my things. For now, you are mine to do with as I please. He can have you when I'm done."

Elena's hand surged across his face with a strength she didn't know she possessed. How dare he?!

They glared at each other for a few seconds, before Elena made an attempt to turn around and walk away. Damon tried to stop her by reaching for her upper arm; that same upper arm that Master Lockwood had bit into with his fingers not too long ago. It still hurt, so she hissed in pain.

Damon immediately released her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

When Elena didn't respond immediately, he raised her sleeve before she could even blink. She watched as his eyes darkened at the sight of Master Lockwood's fingertips having left red marks on her skin.

"Did HE do this?" he growled.

Elena swallowed at his deadly glare. She knew that if she said 'yes', that Mason Lockwood would probably end up dead. But it was too late. Damon had already drawn his conclusions and stalked off towards the party inside of the house.

"Damon, you can't! You can't kill him!" she yelled after him.

"Don't worry, Elena. I won't hurt him…too much!" he threw back at her over his shoulder.

She ran as fast as she could. He wouldn't do this, right? Not at a crowded party! He could risk exposing himself!

Just as she made it back inside of the house, she saw Damon walking with Master Lockwood towards her father's office. Elena was surprised at how willingly Master Lockwood went with him, especially with how mad he had been with her for dancing with him. Damon ushered the unsuspecting man inside of the office and closed the door behind him, but to Elena's luck, the door didn't close completely.

Elena quickly walked towards the open door and peered through the crack. She saw how Damon suddenly grasped Master Lockwood by the neck, pushing him up against the wall. His eyes stared deeply into Master Lockwood's.

"As much as I'd like to do this myself for the way you hurt Elena, I also need to cover myself. Plus, I want to have a little fun with you. So, I want you to go home and walk yourself into a doorknob. Twice. Make it hurt. Don't hold back now."

Master Lockwood remained frozen and the robotic words that flowed out of his mouth shocked Elena to the core.

"I will walk myself into a doorknob and I won't hold back."

"Good boy. Now, you won't remember this conversation. The only thing you'll know is that you had too much to drink at the party and went home, where you tripped over your drunken little feet and banged yourself against the doorknob. Twice, don't forget that part!"

"I won't remember this conversation. I will go home drunk, slip and bang into a doorknob. Twice. I won't forget that part," Master Lockwood mumbled.

Elena gasped and almost fled from the scene. It all became clear to her now. This was what Damon had done to her father! He used his eyes for some sort of spell, just like she had thought!

Not bothering to go back towards the party, she ran up the stairs and flung herself onto her bed, shivering.

Had Damon used this same kind of spell to make her have these feelings for him? Was it all a lie? Was he manipulating her entire family?

When she woke up hours later, it was quiet. The party was over. She blinked a few times and tried to sit up when her heart stopped.

Damon was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching her.

"You were listening in on the entire conversation, weren't you?" he assessed.

Elena nodded. She crawled back up the bed a bit. She didn't know what to expect from him.

"You did it to my father too, didn't you?" she asked weakly.

Damon didn't even bother answering her. He just gazed at her, confirming everything with his silence.

"That's why he was so relaxed when you came back from your conversation in the library room. Did you tell him to be okay with us, or something?"

Damon, again, said nothing.

"Are my feelings a lie, Damon? Did you tell me to fall in love with you? Was it all part of your plan?"

Silence.

"Are you going to answer me sometime tonight?"

Damon sighed.

"When I touch you, am I telling you to want me, Elena?" he shot back.

Elena blushed and looked down.

"No."

"Did I tell you to have sex with me down by the quarry?"

"No."

"Because I sure seem to recall it was you who seduced ME into having sex with YOU," Damon pointed out.

"It was."

"Do I tell you to enjoy my feeding from you? Have I ever forced you to drink from me?"

Elena shook her head.

"Well, no. But… I don't know how this spell thing works, Damon! Explain it to me!" she pleaded.

"It's not a spell. It's not magic. It's just something that vampires can do, Elena. We can control a human's mind. We call it compulsion. When I met your father, he was on vervain, an herb that can keep vampires from performing that mind control on you. That's why I infiltrated his little club of business men. I wanted to know how much he knew about vampires, how they work, what kills them."

Elena remembered the word…vervain. Then her eyes shot open. She also remembered someone burning a shed full of vervain towards the ground at the Lockwood estate!

"The fire…,"she mumbled. "It was you."

"Yes. Your father was making things very difficult for me. I thought that if I was in his little club, he would tell me about something. Something that I wanted. He never did though. I came to learn that this shed was the only vervain he possessed. So I eliminated it and waited for it to leave his system."

"So has he told you now? About that thing you want?"

Damon chuckled.

"It turns out it was futile to know. I can never get to it."

Elena frowned in confusion. Just as she thought she had gotten a little closer to figuring him and his plans out, his next step threw her off.

"Did you ever compel me?" she wanted to know.

Damon shrugged.

"Once. It was nothing too important. Just to cover myself. I never compelled you about your feelings. You see, I might be able to control your mind, Elena. But I can never control your heart."

He gazed at her intently as he said these words, making her heart flutter. So her feelings were real then. But what about his?

"So my father was on vervain? What about me? I mean, you were able to compel me, you say."

Damon lay down on the pillow next to her, putting his hands behind his head.

"At first, your father was just testing it. He wasn't sure if vervain worked, so he tried it within his little circle first. When he found out that it did work, I had already figured out where he kept his stash and burned it. It turned out he had just a little bit left to make sure no vampire could ever get to what I want."

Damon scowled at the thought.

Elena snuggled into her pillow and looked at him.

"So what is it that you want?"

Damon's smile disappeared from his face as he watched her with a burning gaze.

The look made Elena laugh.

"Besides that!" she giggled.

"I already told you more than I ever wanted to. You're not getting involved in this. You'll end up hurt."

Did that mean that he cared? Surely he would never admit it. But she couldn't help wanting to know. So she put an arm around him and laid her head on his chest, preparing herself for a difficult question for him.

"Are you ever going to admit that you feel something for me?"

She heard his sharp intake of breath and was afraid that the question had come too soon. He obviously hadn't been ready to face it earlier, when he had denied being jealous.

"You were jealous of Master Mason, Damon. Admit it. Otherwise you wouldn't have acted the way you did in the library room. And you certainly wouldn't have cared about him grabbing me a little too roughly."

Damon chuckled.

"I would really love to be a fly on Mason Lockwood's wall tonight to watch him fling himself into a doorknob!"

Elena swatted his chest.

"That was wrong and you know it!" she berated him, even though she laughed a little too. "Now answer my question."

Damon turned her way with a serious expression on his face. He remained quiet for a long time, and Elena began to think he was never going to answer her. She accepted it.

So she put her head back down on his chest and closed her eyes. Just before she drifted off, she heard his voice rumble:

"Yeah, I get jealous…."

**A/N: So Damon finally reveals another piece of the puzzle, but we still have a long way of getting towards the bottom of this. What is it that he wants to find? How far will he go to get it? And yes, he finally admitted to feeling something for Elena. Yay! By the way, thank you all so much for the many reviews I received for last chapter. I was floored with the response and grinned every time I got an e-mail saying another reader had left a review. THANK YOU! Now, as this story continues and Damon's plan is finally completely blown out into the open, it will affect Elena in a major way! Want to know more? Please make me smile and leave a review! **

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	13. Chapter 13

Turning Point

"I want to give you something."

Elena jumped at the sound of the voice. She hadn't even heard him approaching her. She had been too lost in her memory of Damon, seducing her on the exact same spot she was sitting now. She idly fingered the keys of the piano in front of her. It seemed like ages ago, with everything that had happened in the meantime. The wedding was less than two weeks away. The walls were closing in. Her cage was ready.

"Elena?"

She looked up from the piano to see her father standing in the doorway. His face was unreadable, but serious. Quietly, he stepped into the room, his eyes never leaving hers. In his hands he carried a small box.

Elena looked up at him in confusion. Why was he giving her a gift already? Was it for the wedding?

Grayson Gilbert nodded his head at her piano seat, indicating that he wanted her to scoot over. Dutily, Elena did as she was told.

"You know how proud I am of you. You've turned into such a beautiful young woman. Master Lockwood cannot wait to marry you. I'm very happy with this union, as you know, and I hope you will have a prosperous life. I know I should have waited until the wedding, but I wanted to give it to you now. I hope you will wear it every day and know that I love you," her father told her.

Elena blinked up at him. It wasn't like her father to get emotional. Not even about his own daughter. So this surprised her.

She watched as he opened up the small box and revealed a beautiful silver bracelet. Elena gasped at the sheer beauty of it. It had an interwoven band with a charm dangling in the middle. It was truly stunning.

"Thank you, father."

Her father smiled at her, before putting the bracelet on her wrist.

"There, that looks very good on you."

Elena held up her wrist up in front of her, watching the bracelet sparkling in the sunlight that came streaming through the windows until a scent caught her nose. It was very faint, but surely there. It smelled like an herb and it was coming from her bracelet. She bent down a bit to be able to identify the strange smell better.

"Ah, you can smell it. Open up the charm on your bracelet," her father urged her.

Elena followed his instruction and frowned at what she saw. Her nose hadn't failed her. It was definitely an herb that she had smelled. Her father had put it in the charm of her bracelet.

"It's called vervain."

Elena's head snapped up at her father's words.

Vervain?! As in the vervain Damon had burned so he could compel her father to give him information about that thing that he wanted? Where did he get it? Damon had told her he had burned it all!

Her mind went into overdrive. If her father still had some vervain left, then Damon couldn't compel him. If Damon couldn't compel him… But Damon HAD compelled her father a few weeks ago at her engagement party. Hadn't he? Did her father actually have vervain back then?

O god!

Did her father know?!

"I can see the wheels turning in your head, Elena. I'll bet you're trying to think of a way to warn him right now, aren't you?"

Elena's heart was pounding in her throat. Fear made its' way through her body. What had they done? His father's circle… Had they outsmarted Damon's plot?!

"H…how?" she squeaked.

Her father scooted a bit closer towards her, looking her dead in the eye. Elena couldn't look away if her life depended on it.

"He played it well, I have to give it to him. But when my vervain burned to the ground and Logan Fell miraculously disappeared, I got suspicious. What if I had an inside player on my hands? What if it was someone I knew? I decided to tell all of my business associates that I had no vervain left. It would only be a matter of time before one of them would begin to compel me if they were a vampire. Damon slipped when he met you in my opinion. He became careless."

Elena swallowed something.

"I was part of his plan," she whispered.

Her father shrugged.

"Maybe at first. Vampires always want danger. You were dangerous because you're my daughter. It excited Damon to chase you. But he messed up when he had sex with you in my goddamn library room! The bastard tried to compel me to forget."

Elena was mortified! So her father HAD heard them, then? What was he going to do now? What was he going to do with HER? She could only hope that the fact that she was his flesh and blood would hold him back from doing something stupid.

"I am VERY disappointed in you, Elena. It's really ironic how the daughter of a notorious vampire hunter falls for a despicable vampire! So this is how we're going to do this: Damon is currently walking into my trap as we speak, he gets killed and you're going to pretend like this has never happened. I haven't filled Mason Lockwood in on anything. He still wants to marry you and I certainly don't want the shame of having the community know that my daughter was defiled by a monster. You ARE going to marry him, Elena. And after that, I will wash my hands off of you. You are in the Lockwood's care now. Thank the Lord your mother doesn't know about all of this!"

Elena sat stumped. There were no words left to say to her father. She sat hunched as he stared her down, daring her to try anything.

"Now you stay here and be a good little girl. The next time you see your boyfriend he'll be dead. Truly dead this time," her father spat.

With those words, he stalked off.

Elena wasted no time. She quickly made her way towards the Gilbert carriage outside. Her father had hired a new driver after Damon had killed Frederick and Elena only hoped that he would help her. She didn't exactly know where Damon lived. But he had told her once he resided mostly on the outskirts of town. She would order the carriage to take her there and then she would look for him.

"Donald," she breathed when she reached her driver.

"Miss Gilbert," he nodded. "How may I help you?"

"Take me to the outskirts of Mystic Falls, please."

Donald looked hesitant.

"The outskirts are not very safe, ma'am. But I could take you somewhere else," he offered.

Elena shook her head.

"I NEED to get to the outskirts, please. It's of utmost urgency," she pressed.

Donald sighed.

"All right, then. Let me help you into the carriage."

As soon as she was seated, the driver took off.

Elena sat back, anxiety written all over her face. Was her father really ordering to kill Damon? And what was the plan? How was he going to do it? She couldn't even wrap her mind around what had happened in these past few moments.

Yesterday morning, everything had been a whole lot better. Elena had been in the sitting room with the fitters, trying on her wedding dress, when Damon had spotted her.

_Elena could feel him before she even saw him. His eyes were on her as she was standing with her back towards him. She grinned, because his gawking made her feel desired. Of course, he would never admit that he had been gawking. _

"_You look beautiful," he suddenly whispered seductively behind her. _

_She turned around to find those icy blue eyes filled with heat. Heat for her. _

"_Could you please excuse us for a moment?" she told her fitters. _

_They all hurried out of the room, but not before one of them gave her a disapproving look. She wasn't supposed to be alone in her wedding dress with a man who wasn't her future husband. Elena ignored the look and focused on Damon instead. He was eyeing her from top to bottom. Elena knew that her wedding dress suited her well. It was off white and had a tight bodice. Something her mother highly disapproved of, but because all of her skin was covered up, she couldn't really complain about it. It was very simple, but lacy and had a long train. _

"_No one is supposed to see the wedding dress before the actual wedding, Mr. Salvatore!" she scolded him. _

_Damon grinned evilly. _

"_I'm not planning on coming anyway."_

_Elena smacked his arm._

"_You are awful!" she bit out playfully. _

_Damon's grin disappeared from his face and he suddenly got serious._

"_Do you think your husband would mind if I kissed the bride first?"_

"_Damon…"_

"_Do you think it would upset him that I know about every delicious delicacy his future wife has to offer?"_

_Elena's heart began to pound in her chest. Why was it that the simple act of him speaking sinfully would already get her excited? He was the temptation embodied . _

_He stepped closer to her, closing the gap between them until their noses almost touched. Moments like this seemed even more erotic to her than the act of sex itself. The way the air crackled around them, the way their bodies were very much aware of the other's presence. The way her blood boiled at his nearness…_

"_Damon..," she breathed again._

"_Don't you think it would be sexy if I touched you with your fitters waiting right outside? In the dress that promises you to another man?"_

_Elena shook her head. _

"_Don't. We already got lucky in the library room, Damon," she warned him. _

"_Ah yes. I definitely got lucky," Damon winked. _

"_Damon!"_

_Damon held his hands up in surrender. _

"_All right, I'll give. I have a meeting with your father in a few minutes anyway. I can't stall," he told her. _

_Elena nodded and ran her hands down her bodice to wipe off the sweaty hands he had caused her to have. _

"_Ouch!"_

_Damon's eyebrows shot up at her outburst. _

"_What happened?"_

"_Pinprick. I think one of the pins that holds my dress together pricked my hand," she explained. _

"_Let me see"_

_Elena held up her hand in front of him, letting him examine it. There was a tiny drop of blood on her fingertip, making his eyes change and the veins underneath them appear again. _

"_Mmm," he almost groaned. _

_He looked deeply into her eyes as he raised her hand towards his mouth. He kissed around the small wound for a second, enjoying the taste of her flesh in his mouth. He was still looking at her as his lips finally closed around her finger. Elena's legs almost buckled as he began to softly suckle her digit. Her insides quivered in need again, making her seriously reconsider his offer to have her in her wedding dress. _

_She eyed him through heavy lidded eyes. He always made her want it. Crave it. _

_She thought back to that moment when she had been the one who drank HIS blood. That had been so.. deliciously sinful. As if he could read her mind, he dropped her finger and bit into his own palm, offering it to her. _

_She hesitated for a moment, but the heated look in his eyes pulled her in. She closed her mouth over the wound he had created and drank. She made it her business to be careful, since she didn't want to spill anything on her wedding dress. _

_All too soon the moment ended, and Damon pulled back. _

"_We'd better let the fitters in, before they have a fit," he chuckled at his own joke…._

"Donald? Why did we stop?" Elena asked as the jolt from the carriage halting pulled her back towards the present.

Donald didn't answer.

The whole situation reminded her of the day on which Damon had killed Frederick weeks ago. And sure enough, it was Damon who opened her carriage door. Elena almost wanted to roll her eyes at him.

"Please don't tell me that you've killed yet another one of my drivers, Master Salvatore!" she threw at him.

Damon chuckled at the familiarity of the situation.

"I've merely knocked him unconscious this time, Miss Gilbert. No need to get your undergarments in a twist."

Elena smiled, but quickly became serious again.

"I actually came to warn you. My father knows what you are. You have to run. He wants to kill you," she quickly informed him.

"How does he know? You didn't tell him, did you?" Damon almost glared.

"Of course not!" Elena told him, outraged. "He still had vervain, Damon. He couldn't be compelled!"

Damon stepped back from the carriage and ran his hands through his hair.

"Damn it! That son of a bitch! He told me he had no vervain left!"

Elena stepped out of the carriage completely and eyed him warily.

"He outsmarted you, Damon. Your plan is failing. You'd better leave now, before he and his men find you."

"But I can't leave! If he gets his hands on what I'm looking for…"

"Then tell me, Damon! Tell me all about your plan and I will help you," Elena offered.

Before Damon had a chance to reply, an arrow pierced his chest. Elena watched in horror as smoke sizzled from the place where it had entered Damon's body. Damon groaned, his face contorted in pain and a familiar smell hit Elena's nostrils.

Vervain.

A shadowy figure stood at the end of the road, holding up the bow that had shot the arrow. Elena couldn't make out who it was. But he or she scared the living daylights out of her. In front of her, Damon dropped to the ground in a heap.

"Damon!"

But Damon was unconscious; unable to reply. Elena crouched over him, trying to shake him into waking up. But to no avail.

She could hear footsteps approaching.

"Thank you for tipping me off about this one, Katherine. You've been a great help," Grayson Gilbert's voice loomed over Elena's form.

"Anytime, Mr. Gilbert. I've wanted to capture this particular vampire for a VERY long time….."

**A/N: Yes, I know there will be A LOT of questions now. I guess I'm a sucker for cliff hangers ;) I hope you liked it. And please review to let me know how you want these questions to be answered. They feed my muse. *hugs***

**Twitter: Sandy1983**


	14. Chapter 14

Mistaken Identity

Elena stared into a very similar pair of chocolate brown eyes. This woman was identical to her in almost every single way. It confused her. None of this made sense. Why was her father dealing with her? Why, if he hated vampires so much, was he involving this woman who was obviously one of them? The grandfather clock in the office ticked loudly as Elena contemplated what to say. Her mouth opened and closed again on several times but nothing came out. The truth was, there were so many plans revolving around her, it was giving her a headache.

"Where are you taking him?" she finally asked, staring at her father and the woman who could be her twin sister.

Grayson Gilbert leaned back in his chair.

"That's none of your concern, dear. All you need to know is that you will be freed from his hold on you. Look, I know I was very harsh earlier. I said some things.. The fact that my daughter was doing inappropriate things with a vampire, the things I was taught to hate, drove me to the brink. I didn't think. I reacted and released my venom on you. But then I took a step back and realised he probably had a hold on you. He probably compelled you so he could worm his way into our very lives. But everything's okay now. Katherine here has him locked up and he'll be killed soon," he explained.

"Look, this is very touching and all but can we get back to our deal?" Katherine spoke up in a bored manner.

Grayson nodded and reached into his desk to hand her a key.

"He's spared for now. I expect you to move far away from here after Damon's line is killed. If any of my men ever sets eyes on you, him or his line again you will be killed in an instant. Are we clear?" he threatened.

Katherine narrowed her eyes at him.

"I don't handle threats very well Mr. Gilbert. We had a deal. I delivered. Don't push your luck here."

Elena kept on looking at the staring competition in front of her. What was her father doing here?!

"Take that key and go, Katherine. I'm not in the mood for playing games. The next time I see you, you WILL be killed."

Katherine gave a chilling chuckle.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," she spat.

Elena didn't understand any of this.

"Why do we look so much alike? Are we related? And why do you two even have a deal? Why would you help a vampire hunter catch one of your kind? Why would a vampire hunter work with its' prey?" she asked.

Both Katherine and Grayson stopped to look at her.

"Katherine has her own reasons for wanting Damon and his line dead," her father answered vaguely.

"I'd love to stay and chat, but I've some business to take care of. Bye now."

Just as Katherine wanted to skip out of the room, the door rushed open and in walked Carol Lockwood, looking very angry and upset. She eyed Katherine up and down, before the vampire made her exit with a smirk on her face.

"So it is true then. Mr. Gilbert, forgive me. But are you insane! No one from the council has ever or will ever work with a vampire. We were born to hate them. We were born to kill them! How could you let this one help you, let alone release her and that thing onto the world!"

It was then that Mrs. Lockwood laid eyes on Elena.

"What is your daughter doing here?"

Grayson sat up.

"It's okay, Carol. Elena knows. You don't have to hide anything."

Mrs. Lockwood looked as if she was about to explode in anger.

"You are ruining this for all of us, Mr. Gilbert. The council has worked for hundreds of years to hunt these things and kill them, while keeping everything a secret from the world around us. And now your daughter KNOWS?! Wait until my husband catches word of this! He will be furious when he learns that you let Katherine Pierce go!"

"Katherine Pierce will not be allowed to go. None of them are. Don't you see? I lied to her. As soon as she sets foot into that cave with the key, she will go down. Nobody is releasing what she wants to release. Nobody!"

Grayson stood up and started pacing.

"I had to make a decision here, Carol. This man. This Damon Salvatore had infiltrated every one of our lives. He knew everything there is to know. For God's sake, he compelled and seduced my daughter! The same girl that is about to marry into your family. It had to stop. When I found out and Katherine Pierce happened to cross my path, out to destroy Mr. Salvatore, I took the chance. She was all too willing to put that monster in a cage and torture him to death. She is serving a purpose here," he explained.

"I hope you know what you're doing here. If this backfires…"

"It won't. I've got more than one plan up my sleeve. No vampire has ever crossed my path and made it out alive. No one. Katherine Pierce and Damon Salvatore won't be the exception."

Elena's already present headache got even worse because of all of this information. It only added to her questions. Her father was a vampire hunter, yes. He hid something, probably vampires, that both Damon and Katherine wanted to release, she got that too. But what was it? And how were she and Katherine related? And why did this Katherine woman want to destroy Damon? What had he done? Did he know about their resemblance? Of course he did! Stupid thought. But why did he pursue her then? Was it because of that resemblance? Oh, she needed a walk.

She got up from her seat and excused herself.

"Listen, your future husband doesn't know about this. I trust that you will not inform him," her father pressed. "If you want to keep your reputation, your place in society and your place in this family, Damon Salvatore and the concept of vampires are to be banished from your every memory. I'm giving you a second chance here, young lady. Don't ruin it."

Elena nodded quietly, before exiting her father's office.

She went straight into the garden and sat down at one of the large ponds. She was in over her head here. If she did as her father had told her to; forgetting about everything and marrying Master Lockwood, then her life would be simple again. There would be nothing for her to worry about. She would have money, a husband, a family and her only job would be to look presentable next to Master Lockwood. She would have Caroline as a friend and they could talk about how unhappy they were in their marriages.

But then she would have to let Damon go. She would have to live with the fact that she hadn't done anything and because of that, he would die. Could she do that? She would never forget the way he looked when Katherine had thrown him onto the ground with that vervain arrow. How she had rushed off with him and had left Elena with nothing but a father who had dragged her back into the carriage to take them home.

"I was hoping to find you here," a voice behind her said.

She looked up to find her future husband smiling down at her. His right eye was still a bit purple from running himself into that doorknob like Damon had instructed him to do. It almost made Elena chuckle to see it.

"Would you mind if I sat down with you?" he asked.

Elena shrugged and he seemed to take that as a 'yes'.

"So are you excited about the wedding? It's almost due," he began to make small talk.

Elena gave him a fake smile, indicating that she was.

"I want you to know that everything is taken care of. You don't have to worry about a thing. Your life with me will be perfect. I'll take good care of you."

She wanted to believe him. She really did. He was the 'easy' choice here. If she chose to rescue Damon, her life would change beyond recognition. She would forever be on the run.

"Can I kiss you?" Master Lockwood asked next to her.

A kiss. There were so many different types of kisses. Damon had taught her that. When he kissed her, her whole world seemed to stop. When Master Lockwood would kiss her again… She shuddered at the thought. But she had no other option here. She nodded.

When his lips touched hers, it was exactly like the last time.

Awful.

But Master Mason seemed to be quite into it. He slipped his tongue into her mouth and his hands began to probe around. It was beginning to make Elena feeling a bit uncomfortable. He touched her ribcage, the back of her thighs and the underside of her bosom. She didn't want this. Her body didn't belong to him.

"Master Lockwood," she began to protest.

Either he didn't hear her or he didn't want to hear her, for he continued his quest of her body. When his rough, big hands cupped her breasts, she pushed him off of her.

"Sorry, Master Lockwood. But I can't just yet. It's too soon. I want to wait until the wedding night," she told him.

He looked disappointed, but he relented. For now..

"Is my mother inside of the house with your father right now?" he carried on conversation.

"I believe so. Yes."

"Good. I want to talk to her. I heard a bit of a commotion on our old grounds a few hours ago. We need to check it out. It could be some outlaws wanting to hide. It's happened before."

Elena frowned.

"You have other grounds besides the Lockwood manor?"

"Yes. An old slave prison. It's underground in the woods so it's the perfect hiding spot for people that don't want to be found. I've already talked to my family about demolishing it completely. It only causes problems like this. It needs to go."

The wheels in Elena's head began to turn. A perfect hiding spot. Mason had heard a commotion at around the same time spot during which Katherine had disappeared with Damon. There were prison cells down there. She could easily have locked him up down there. It made sense. Her father had wanted to keep an eye on her torturing Damon. The prison cells were located on Lockwood grounds. Her father was friends with the Lockwood's.

"Where is this slave prison?" she asked.

Master Lockwood raised an eyebrow.

"Why? You're not planning on taking a walk down there anytime soon, are you?"

"Of course not. Especially if some filthy outlaw is hiding down there. But I'm curious about your family. About the history of the Lockwood's. I want to know about your land," Elena lied.

"Well, it's close to the quarry, if you know where that is. It's about half a mile north of it. There's a staircase that leads down. But like I said, I would really advise you not to go there. You never know what kind of filth lingers below."

Master Lockwood made a face as he said this.

"Don't worry. I won't go there. I was just curious. Anyway, your mother is inside if you want to find her."

Elena watched as he got to his feet, kissed her hand and made it inside. She remained calm for about ten seconds, until he was completely out of sight. She almost jumped to her feet and quickly dashed inside towards her bedroom to change into something that would allow her to walk the woods a little easier. She decided on a simple blue dress with light fabric. She then hurried down the stairs and out the door before anyone could notice what she was up to.

Master Lockwood had said it was about half a mile north of the quarry. So she would walk there first. Then she would take it from there. She knew that what she was doing now would ruin her. She had made a decision. It would probably cost her greatly. But she couldn't let Damon die.

When she walked passed the quarry, a smile crossed her face. It was where she had met Damon; where she had done some unspeakable things with him... Where she had lost her virginity. She would never regret it. Not in a million years. If society said it was wrong; if society wanted to dictate her life, she would have no place in society.

She kept walking north until she was sure she had passed half a mile since the quarry. It should be here somewhere. She kicked with her feet, probed and prodded for an entrance down. But no such luck. How could anyone ever find the place? If it was below the ground.. But then again, outlaws found it easily. She could do this.

It was getting dark. The sun was setting behind the trees, and soon she would be surrounded by the shadows of the night. Chills broke out on her skin as the temperature began to drop.

"Damon?" she called out.

Maybe he would hear her. He had vampire hearing. But then again, if he was unconscious, this would be a moot point. Still, she tried again.

"Damon!"

She could hear some moaning behind her. It sounded petrifying. She whirled around, but nothing was there. Only darkness and trees. The wind howled all around her, making the scenery even scarier.

"Damon!" she screeched in a panic.

"Elena?"

It sounded very distant. It also sounded like someone was in pain.

"Damon! Keep yelling. Let me follow the sound of your voice!" she called out as loud as she could.

"Elena, I'm down here," he moaned.

She walked a few more steps, before she could see it; an open spot, with some barely there ruins. Behind the ruins was a hole in the ground with a staircase that indeed led down, just like Mason had told her. She had found it. She had found Damon.

She quickly ran downstairs and was met by a cold, dank and dark place. There where wall to wall prison cells. Luckily, they were empty save for one. The sight of him left her gasping for breath. Katherine had really done a number on him. Damon was in the back cell, hung from the ceiling with a rope tied around his wrists, his arms high in the air. He was strapped so tight and high that his feet barely touched the ground. It looked excruciatingly painful. He was pale and tortured to the point of exhaustion.

"O my god, Damon," she whispered.

Damon looked up and his eyes lit up a bit as they focused on hers.

"What did she do to you?"

Damon gave a grim smile.

"Katherine is hardcore. She knows how to torture. There's vervain on the ropes, which is keeping me weak. And my arms feel as if they are being pulled from their sockets. Other than that, I think she went easy on me," he tried to joke.

"Who is this Katherine? Why does she want to kill you? Why does she look like me?" Elena questioned him.

"Long story, Elena. And I kind of want to get out of here first, before she comes back."

Elena nodded at his answer. She opened his cell door, which wasn't locked fortunately, and untied the rope at the back of the cell, which was holding Damon up. He fell to the floor in a heap.

"Damon!"

Elena rushed to his side and tried to hoist him up.

"We need to get out of here," she whispered to him.

She helped him struggle to his feet. He was so weakened and wobbly, but still he tried not to rest all of his weight on her.

"Come on. Let's go."

Damon stopped for a moment and looked at her intensely, making her swallow at his penetrating eyes.

"Why did you come back for me?" he wanted to know.

Elena gazed back at him, still trying to find the answer to that question herself. Why was she risking her entire life to save him; a vampire. Why was she choosing this dangerous man over the safety of her own warm home? Finally, it hit her.

"Because I love you," she breathed.

Damon's eyes widened at her confession, making her wonder if she had made a mistake by telling him. She had put so much faith in this vampire. He could still double cross her. He could still not be what she thought he was. But then his face broke out into a grin.

He wanted to say something, but was cut off. He looked around with a frown.

"What's wrong?" Elena questioned.

Damon's eyes narrowed.

"Someone's down here."

Before either of them could react to this, a gunshot resonated from the walls and Damon suddenly slumped to the ground with a howl.

"Damon!" Elena screamed.

She didn't think about the danger looming in front of her. She immediately got down to help him. It turned out to be a fatal mistake. A piercing pain spread across her entire upper body as she was impaled with something from behind.

"I knew you would betray us, Katherine!" a female voice hissed in her ear.

"I'm not..," Elena wanted to explain.

She never got the chance. The thing that was piercing her from behind was suddenly pushed further and hit her heart…

**A/N: Yikes, that was scary! I know I have you buried underneath all of this plot, where at first it was just an erotic story. But it's quickly turning into an erotic thriller :P Before you kill me for writing that cliffy. If you all remember a little something from last chapter, you'll know that Elena won't be lost to us… Also, the eroticism is coming back. Look out for some smut in the future chapters! **

**Twitter: Sandy1983b**


	15. Chapter 15

A Choice to Make

Elena felt high strung. She still had her eyes closed, but she could hear a whirlwind of things that struck on her every nerve; trees, blowing in the wind. A horse, neighing in the distance. And was that a squirrel she heard nibbling away on a nut? It was loud in her ears and she almost wanted to scream at the creature to stop its' incessant crunching.

What was wrong with her? Why was she able to heareverything with such clarity, things that no human would be able to hear on their own?

There was someone there with her, she could feel it. Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up, ready to defend herself. She was in a room; a bedroom. It was very dark, and yet she was able to see just fine. She looked directly into Damon's eyes, who was standing at the end of the bed that she was lying on, a look of concern and guilt on his face. Why was he looking at her like that?

"Damon?" shewhimpered. "What happened?Where are we?"

Damon walked over towards her and sat down on the bed with her, eyeing her cautiously.

"I've taken you to my house. How are you feeling?" He looked her up and down, as if he expected her to collapse at any minute. He looked like he knew what was he know how on edge she felt; how she wanted to run outside and rip into that squirrel with her teeth for waking her?

It was a scary thought and she had no idea where it came from. Instead, she tried to focus on Damon's words. "I feel strange. I'm very tense and grumpy… and hungry for some reason," she told him.

Damon nodded, as if this made perfect sense to him. She wished she could understand too. What had happened? The last thing she remembered was trying to rescue him from that slave prison... and _Katherine_. Her eyes suddenly widened. Someone had been there to stop her! A woman.. and she had shot Damon! Her eyes flew to where he'd been injured, but saw nothing.

Damon seemed just fine. His concern seemed to be reserved only for her.

"Damon? What happened in the slave prison? I remember a woman. She hurt you.." Elena frowned at the memory. "And me. She hurt me." She looked down at herself, but she seemed to be fine as well. It was as if the whole attack had never happened.

"Elena," Damon began carefully. "What I'm about to tell you is going to come as a shock to you. But before you react, I need you to listen closely, okay?"

Elena nodded.

"The woman who attacked us in the slave prison was Carol Lockwood. It appears as if she didn't trust your father's plan to have Katherine take me out. When she saw you there, releasing me, she obviously thought that her point had been proven. She mistook you for Katherine and went after you. She shot me with a wooden bullet to weaken me more than I already was and…" Damon paused for a second. His whole body went rigid, his jaw clenched down and his eyes clamped shut before taking a deep breath and continuing. "She drove a stake through your heart."

Silence filled the room as Elena tried to comprehend what had just been said. Carol Lockwood, a future family member, had driven a stake through her heart? She had thought that she was a vampire? But.. She looked down at her chest, trying to find wounds of any kind. There weren't any.

The clothes that she had been wearing on her quest to save Damon had been removed. She was now wearing one of Damon's shirts.

"Where are my clothes?" she asked, trying to block out the thought that was slowly creeping its' way into her mind about what had really happened to her at the slave prison.

"I had to remove them. There was a lot of blood…," Damon choked.

Elena shook her head. "Well, get me something else, then. I can't very well go out wearing one of your shirts, now can I?" She got out of bed and walked into Damon's adjoining bathroom, Damon trailing right behind her. He was watching her like a hawk.

"Elena," he whispered.

She tried her best to ignore him; she knew she was going doubt the route of denial, but she didn't want to talk. She didn't want to think…

"Damon, I know that we've been intimate before, but would you mind terribly? I need to do some ladylike things in the bathroom."

Damon was getting irritated and grabbed onto her upper arms, forcing her to look at him.

"Listen to me! I know that your emotions are all over the place right now. I know, okay? I've been there as well. I understand. But we need to talk things through, before it's too late. You can't live in denial here, Elena. Frankly, you don't have the time for that."

His cobalt eyes stared her down, trying to read into her. It made Elena uncomfortable and she pushed him off of her. "I want to go home. Take me there, please."

Damon stared at her incredulously, scoffing. "I'm not your servant, Elena."

Elena huffed and flipped her long hair over her shoulders, stalking past him. "Fine, if you won't take me, fetch me someone who will. Or better yet, give me some decent clothes and I'll walk myself home!"

She stomped out of the bedroom and hurried down the stairs that appeared in front of her. The front door was not far away. She would go out like this, then. If anyone happened to come across her, she would just tell them that she had been robbed. That would certainly explain her appearance. Yes, the perfect plan.

Just as she reached the front door, Damon grabbed her arm and whirled her back around. "You spoiled, arrogant little princess! Will you listen to me? If you go out there right now, that will for sure be the end of you!"

Tears sprang into Elena's eyes as she struggled to break free of Damon's hold.

"Hasn't that already happened, Damon? Didn't I already 'end' in that slave prison? You've explained it to me once. When a human dies with vampire blood in his system, they will come back a vampire. Hasn't that already happened to me? I'm dead, aren't I, Damon?" she sobbed. "I'm dead!"

Damon clutched her shrieking form to his chest, letting her cry. Elena gripped his shirt for all that she was worth, her tiny hands wringing it. "I'm sorry, Elena," Damon whispered into her hair as she soaked his shirt with her tears.

Grief was quickly replaced by anger, as Elena whipped her head back and slapped Damon in the face. "You're not sorry! You wanted this!" she hissed. "You wanted leverage against my father, you even admitted it! Just admit that this whole situation makes you pleased!"

"Your emotional outbursts are giving me a headache here! Damon growled at her, backing away and giving her space. "Yes, Elena. I wanted this _at first_. But that was before you got under my skin. And it certainly was before you admitted that you loved me!" Elena turned quiet, remembering her words.

He took a chance by stepping closer. "I would be lying if I said that I don't want this anymore. But for different reasons now. At first, I just wanted to spite your father. Having you as a vampire would certainly bring him to his knees. And I really didn't mind tempting you over to the dark side. But now… Now things are different. Having you as a vampire now, would mean that I get to spend more time with you. We can explore the world together. We can enjoy the ecstasy of a vampire's bite. I could teach you things that you wouldn't dare dream of, Elena. But in order to do that, you have to make a choice. If you feed, you'll turn and we can do all those things together. If you don't, you will die."

Elena thought this over. Biting her lip, she asked, "So I'm not a vampire yet?"

Damon shook his head. "No, you are still in transition, which is why you are so hungry right now. Your body is screaming at you to complete this transition. It wants blood. Human blood. You are on edge because of this. Also, your emotions are heightened. Whatever you were feeling as a human, it will be magnified now. Which is why one minute you're crying from despair, and the next minute you're slapping the side of my face in rage," he smirked when she looked down, embarrassed.

Elena sighed. "I'm not sure what I want, Damon. If I don't feed, I'll die. But if I do feed, I'll have to take the lives of others. I'm not sure if I can do that."

"You don't necessarily have to kill a human, in order to get what you want. You _can_ only drink a little and compel them to forget," Damon explained. "They won't remember anything."

Elena rubbed her eyes tiredly. Then a thought hit her. "What happened to Carol Lockwood? I mean, after she staked me?"

Damon looked down. "I was weakened by the wooden bullet, but as soon as I saw what she had done… I snapped her neck," he confessed.

For a moment, Elena was stumped. Dear lord, what a mess they were in! If anyone from her family.. or Mason Lockwood's family found out…

Being a vampire right now couldn't be more dangerous.

Maybe her choice was a simple one. If she fed, her life was going to get very complicated. Her own family would try to kill her. Of course, if she didn't say anything and pretended to still be human Elena Gilbert, her life wasn't going to get any better either. She would have to hide her cravings for blood. She would still have to marry Mason Lockwood. Would he get suspicious if she couldn't bare him any children?

Maybe the best thing here was not to feed. But could she tell Damon that? He wanted her and he wanted her at his side. He had made that clear from the start. They could have one hell of a vampire life together. She could already imagine it; the adventures, the danger, the sex.. She squirmed at her last thought.

Yes, it could be amazing. But could she spend the rest of her life, or un-life, being afraid of her own family? Always looking over her shoulder, never feeling safe?

Damon touched her cheek with his fingers, stroking it softly.

"Think about all the power we would have, baby," he whispered. "You would make a fantastic vampire, my beautiful, dark princess."

Her inner muscles clenched deliciously at his words. Oh yes, the sex would be explosive between them…

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"Damon, I want to go home first. Before I make my decision, I want to see my family one last time…."

* * *

><p>It was strange to be there after her "death."<p>

Elena stepped inside, invited in by a maid, and looked around in the massive parlour of her home. A place that still welcomed her now, but wouldn't hesitate to throw her out after she had fed. Damon had brought her some decent, clean clothes and had brought her here. He told her he would leave her to her quest, but she knew that he was lurking somewhere nearby, watching over her.

He had put up one hell of a fight, when she had told him that she wanted to go back. He was concerned about her father's actions. Which meant that he was concerned about her. He hadn't said those three little words back. But still, his worry put a smile on her face.

"Elena?" a voice resounded from the top of the stairs.

Elena looked up to see her father quickly coming down, relief written all over his face. When he reached her, he enveloped her in a stiff hug. "Where have you been? Damon Salvatore has escaped, Carol Lockwood is missing and up until a few moments ago, so were you!"

Elena smiled at her father as he released her awkwardly. He wasn't a man that would display his emotions a whole lot. This was already pushing it for him.

"I'm fine, father. I just went to the quarry to think about all of the events that have happened lately," she reassured him.

"Elena, please tell me that you didn't go to the Lockwood slave quarters a few hours ago. God, there was so much blood! When you weren't in your room.. Damon Salvatore is a notorious man, Elena. That blood could have been yours."

Elena turned a bit queasy. That blood probably _had_ been hers.. It immediately made her think back to the decision she had to make.

"I wasn't there, father," she lied.

Her father quickly composed himself to the strict man she had always known him to be. "You do realise that you're grounded now, right? You left the house after dark. God knows what might have happened to you. Honestly, I don't even feel like I know who you are anymore these days. Now, go up to your bedroom and see about the preparations for your wedding. Your dress is ready and waiting for you to try it on."

Elena nodded and curtsied her father, before going upstairs.

Her bedroom was exactly as she had left it. The wedding dress was hanging from her closet door and she eyed it carefully. The last time she had it on seemed like a lifetime ago.

She caught her reflection in the mirror and turned towards it. Her appearance still seemed the same, but she did notice a few subtle changes. Her skin was pale; there was no colour in her cheeks. Probably because there was no longer any blood flowing inside of her. Her eyes looked.. dead.

She leaned in a little closer, examining herself. If she fed, her eyes would turn black as night. There would be red veins underneath her eyes, and she would have pointy teeth... not teeth… _fangs_. They were already begging to be released, and Elena felt her gums aching. She bared her still normal teeth to herself in the mirror. Her eyes caught the reflection of a man behind her. Startled, she jumped up and turned around.

It was Damon. "Hello," he winked cockily at her.

Elena put a hand to her chest, to calm a heart that wasn't even beating. "You scared me."

Damon walked over towards her. "Were you imagining yourself as a vampire; how beautiful you would be?"

Elena sighed as he cupped her head in one hand, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "You can't be here. My father probably has his entire army out looking for you. You are playing with fire, Damon."

Damon smirked. "I seem to recall that I always played with fire whenever I came here, corrupting you in your virginal bed."

If Elena still had a circulation, she would be blushing by now.

"Well, I'm not a virgin anymore, now am I? You made sure of that."

"And you were all too willing to participate in that, Elena," he retorted haughtily. "Can you imagine how it will be between us now that your emotions are heightened? One simple touch could ignite a thousand sparks in your body. One single kiss would get your still heart beating, one thrust would blow the top off of your head. "

Damon circled her until he was standing right behind her. He pushed her hair aside and began to place small kisses at the base of her neck. Elena shivered, indeed imagining what those kisses would do to her once she was a vampire.

Damon's hand trailed down her dress, sliding it between her thighs and cupping her sex. His thumb teasingly stroked her clit, causing Elena to softly moan.

"Cross over to me, baby. I can show you things that you've never even dreamed of."

Elena opened her eyes to find herself staring at her wedding dress. Damon watched it along with her, still holding her from behind.

"That's not your life anymore," he whispered in her ear. "You were never meant to be a boring housewife, surrounded by Lockwood's children. You are meant to be a goddess. Powerful, sexy and free to do whatever you want."

Damon continued to tease her little nub and Elena slowly began to ride his hand. Could this feel any better if she was a vampire? She highly doubted it. She already felt like soaring now, biting her lip to keep from moaning too loud.

"Trust me, when you're a vampire, you are not going to be able to stifle those moans. Every nerve in your body will be so high strung, that when the final release washes over you, you are going to scream the house down."

His words sent her over the edge, as she rocked herself against him, feeling him harden against her soft rear.

"Elena? Are you coming down for dinner?" Miranda Gilbert could be heard from the hallway outside of her bedroom.

Damon groaned from behind Elena. "Your parents always now how to ruin the fun."

"I have to go now, Damon."

Damon held her against him for a moment longer. "Don't leave me, baby. Quench that thirst. Give in to what your body is craving for."

Elena looked at him for a moment, before leaving him behind in her bedroom…

* * *

><p>Rare meat had never tasted so good. It made Elena wonder. Would the small amount of blood from this lamb's meat count? Was it enough to turn her into a vampire? She didn't think so. Damon had told her the transition couldn't be completed with animal blood. It had to be a from a human. The thought still scared her. Could she really hurt someone?<p>

"You certainly are hungry tonight, Elena. Don't forget your manners, dear," her mother scolded her.

Elena didn't particularly care about her mother right now. She swallowed down the meat as if she hadn't eaten for days. When the final piece had made it down her throat, she stared at the small remnant of blood on her plate. Her body was screaming at her. Her insides were churning. It was getting worse now. She suspected it was because time was running out. She only had a few hours left until her body gave up.

Before she knew what she was doing, Elena picked up the plate and licked the blood from it. Her parents watched her in horror as her tongue scraped it clean. "Elena Marie Gilbert! Put down that plate right now!" Miranda screeched at her. "Dear lord! What would your husband make of this! He'd better teach you a few manners, because I have obviously failed!"

"Sorry, Mother," Elena said as she licked her lips, not regretting her actions in the slightest.

"You will never behave like that again, Elena. Are we clear? No one is going to want to marry you like this. Not even Mason Lockwood," her father calmly stated, although his eyes were shooting daggers.

"Yes, Father."

The dining room door opened to reveal a fuming Richard Lockwood. He had obviously learned about his wife being missing and all the action in the slave prison.

"I'm sorry, Master Gilbert. I couldn't stop him. He pushed right past me," one of the servants said, flustered.

"It's all right, Sophie," Grayson told her, signalling her to leave.

Master Lockwood gave the women in the room a firm nod, before addressing Grayson. "Mr. Gilbert. A word, please."

Grayson nodded. "Excuse us."

Both men left the room, disappearing towards Grayson's office. It wasn't long before raised voices could be heard. Things were getting heated.

"Do you think Father is all right?" Elena asked her mother.

Miranda Gilbert took a bite from her custard, before answering: "It's none of our concern, dear. Finish your dessert and then go upstairs. We still have to do make some alterations to your dress."

Elena could hear things being shoved around in her father's office. Suddenly, her head whipped up as her body became overwhelmed by the smell of blood. It was intoxicating. Her instincts seemed to take over as she slowly got up from the table. She wanted it. She _needed_ it.

"Elena, what are you doing?" she heard her mother calling after her as she went for the door. "This is something between your father and his associate. Leave them alone."

Elena ignored her mother. The pull was too strong. The blood was pouring now. She could hear a heart pumping fast. Yes, she was close to getting it.

She crossed the hallway and quietly opened her father's office door. The tangy small became almost too much to bear. It was a powerful elixir, and she could see it streaming down Richard Lockwood's face. Her father must have punched him. There was a small gash in his forehead, where the blood was seeping out.

"Elena? What are you doing here? Get out! This is none of your concern," her father spoke to her.

Elena almost couldn't hear him as her feet carried her closer to her goal.

_Blood.. Blood.. Blood.. Blood.._

Her body was singing for it. Her gums were throbbing, her teeth begging to spring forth. Every nerve ending of her body was focussed on one thing. Richard Lockwood cowered in his seat, holding a hand to his bleeding wound as he saw her approach. His eyes widened with her hungry look.

"Uhm, Gilbert? What is your daughter doing?" he stuttered.

Grayson Gilbert obviously wasn't sure himself. "Elena!" he hissed.

Elena leaned over Master Lockwood, her hands on either side of his head, effectively trapping him. She was going to do it, she needed it! She ripped Master Lockwood's hand away from his bleeding forehead. Her stomach churned as she saw all of that glorious, crimson blood. She eyed his bloody hand, which she was still holding and slowly brought it to her lips. She inserted a digit into her mouth and began to suck.

"Elena!" her father yelled.

But Elena couldn't see or hear anything besides the blood. She sucked Richard Lockwood's hand clean, feeling the transformation beginning. The agony was gone. Her body was rejoicing. Her gums stopped aching. Instead, she could feel new things; different things. She could feel her eyes shifting. The veins were beginning to appear on her face. Finally, her gums opened to a new set of teeth; sharp, pointy, vampire teeth.

She opened her mouth wide to sink her new teeth into Richard Lockwood's hand. It felt glorious! Master Lockwood screamed with her actions.

"She bit me!" he yelled.

"Elena!" Grayson roared, before ripping his daughter from his associate. Elena saw the horror on his face at the realisation of what she had become. He pushed her away from him and quickly reached behind him.

When he turned around, he was holding a stake….

**A/N: **It's been a while. I know. This story means the world to me, so I don't just want to upload any chapter. I want each and every word to be special. I love writing this. I hope you all like reading it ;) Anyway, the chapter speaks for itself. Elena is now a vampire. But will her father nip it in the bud before she has even started? Please review :D

Oh yes, my new twitter is plainoldSandra. In case you were wondering what happened to my other account ( Sandy1983b), I wanted an account where I would be free to tweet about whatever I wanted. I couldn't do that on my old one, so it got deleted. My new account can be followed for story updates, crazy random thoughts and outbursts. Yes, on Thursday night, you might also get TVD tweets. But not as many anymore. TVD needs to stay a hobby and not become a chore ;)


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello! Yep, it's been a while. If there are any readers left, let me love you! Oreo's all round! Anyway, let's pick up where we left off, shall we? Elena's been turned. How will she deal with that? Read to find out more!**

_**A Whole New World**_

Elena had never felt her emotions scream so loud inside of her before. One part of her was still focused on Richard Lockwood's oozing blood. She wanted more… so much more. But the other part of her was well aware of the danger in front of her; the danger that was presented to her by her own father. He was holding a stake as he slowly backed her into a corner, his face sad but determined. He was going to kill her.

"Father," she whispered. "Please don't."

Grayson Gilbert shook his head. "Don't call me that. I'm not your father, not anymore. I can't be a father to what I was taught to hate. My daughter died when _he_ killed you."

Elena looked around for ways to escape him, while trying to ignore the magnetic pull of blood. Richard Lockwood was still seated in his chair, watching the scene in front of him unfold in shock. He had no idea what his blood was doing to Elena; she felt like she couldn't control her fangs. They remained unsheathed, ready for the kill. She could also sense the jagged veins underneath her eyes. No wonder her father couldn't see his daughter in here anymore. She needed her face to turn back to normal.

"Would you mind covering yourself up!" she suddenly found herself hissing at Master Lockwood.

"Mr. Lockwood, would you please show yourself out? I've got some business to attend to here," her father spoke up, clearly wanting the man gone as well.

Richard Lockwood stumbled to his feet and hastily made his exit, never once looking back.

Elena kept her eyes locked on her father and the stake, her hands up in the air to fend off any attack he might have planned.

"I had such high hopes for you, Elena. You were my prized daughter. People always complimented me on how well mannered you were. When Mason Lockwood asked me for your hand in marriage, I couldn't have been happier. You were going to be a respectable lady in society. I had done my job well. Now look at you!"

The veins and fangs were still part of her visage, so Elena tried to calm herself down just enough to be able to show her father her human face. Grayson flinched in front of her when she finally succeeded.

"You can show me that face all you want. I know a demon resides in there. You are nothing but a filthy beast!" he screamed, while holding up the stake again.

Elena closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow that would kill her.

It never came.

She remained absolutely still for a few minutes, before slowly opening her eyes again. She blinked at the sight in front of her; Damon had somehow managed to get in and had pulled the stake from her father's hand. He was now seated in the very same chair which Richard Lockwood had recently vacated, with Damon looming over him.

"Staking your only daughter, Gilbert?" he said disapprovingly, cocking an eyebrow at the older man in front of him.

"That thing is not my daughter. She just wears my daughter's face!"

Elena carefully inched forward, coming to stand next to Damon.

"Father…,"she tried.

"_Do not call me that_! My daughter would never behave so immorally." Grayson turned his gaze towards Damon again. "You took her from me. You compelled her and lured her in, using sex and God knows what else. My daughter was a pure woman before she met you. She would have married Mason Lockwood and have led a perfect life. People would have been so jealous of her! She would have had children and died as an old lady, surrounded by the people who loved her. You took that from her!"

"If you want to talk technicalities, Gilbert, let's talk about who _really_ took her free will away."

Elena had been quiet the entire time, but decided she had heard enough. "Please, stop," she whispered in a meek voice. "Both of you. I'll leave, father. I'll let you bury your precious daughter if you think she's dead. I just… Goodbye."

She whirled around and quickly headed out the door…..

She really had no idea how long she'd been wandering around in the woods when Damon caught up with her. Considering the fact that he could have used his vampire speed to track her down but didn't, he had probably let her mope around for a while. He was right to do that; her mood was beyond cranky right now. Her emotions were heightened, as Damon had once explained. She could feel everything ten times worse now, which made her want to tear into everyone that crossed her path.

"He's right, isn't he?" she suddenly spoke up. "My father really thinks that his daughter is dead. Elena is gone, she doesn't exist anymore."

Damon stopped her from continuing down her path and pushed her back against a tree. "To be honest, I don't think I've ever seen you more alive."

Elena scowled at him.

"Don't mock me. Alive? I've been an absolute mess ever since what happened in that cellar. I feel so wired that I actually want to do some of the things that you did!"

Damon cocked an eyebrow at her. "Do what I did?" he questioned. "You mean, kill?"

Elena nodded, biting her lip.

"When Master Lockwood was bleeding… I wanted to… I mean…"

Damon's eyes darkened. "You wanted to tear into his flesh and suck out all the blood. You wanted to feel the thick, rich sustenance slide down your throat while he whimpered in pain beneath you."

"Yes," Elena breathed. "I felt no restraint. If my father hadn't stopped me…"

Damon slid his thumb across her lower lip, causing it to part involuntarily. She could feel the simple touch all the way down to her toes. Dear Lord, Damon had been right about that too! Not just her emotions were heightened, her senses noticed everything ten times better as well. It made her wonder what he had told her about sex and orgasms.

The thought made her look down in embarrassment, while Damon grinned wolfishly at her.

"You're young, Elena. Besides that, you are very new to vampirism. I can teach you all about control; when to restrain yourself and when to let go. But believe me that when you let go, you'll go all out. It'll be so much fun."

Elena looked up at him from underneath her eyelashes.

"I'm hungry," she whispered.

Damon nodded.

"I know just the place for you to feed and learn about self control. Think of it as your first lesson."

"I don't think I can kill anyone, Damon."

"Who said anything about killing anyone? If you can possess enough self control, you can compel your victims to be agreeable to anything and snack all you want," Damon winked.

Elena shuddered a bit. "Would you mind not calling them my victims?"

Damon put his arm around her shoulders and guided her into the direction of their destination.

"What should I call them then? Food suppliers?"

He laughed at his own joke, while Elena poked him in the side.

"Don't get too wrapped up in the fact that they are human, Elena. You won't survive if you do. You can leave them alive, but never get too emotional about it. You need blood and there is no other way to get it…."

* * *

><p>Elena looked around the place to which Damon had taken her and crossed her arms in anger.<p>

"A brothel? You took me too a _brothel_!"

Damon simply shrugged. "What? I figured you wouldn't want to feed from uptown society people. These people have lost their purpose and the high society looks down on them. Nobody will miss them if you lose control, but better yet. Nobody will listen to them if they accidentally talk."

Elena growled at the way Damon considered this all to be so easy. She really felt the urge to turn around, run back towards her father's house and let him stake her. She couldn't do this. She wasn't particularly good at it.

"Relax, Elena. You'll be fine," Damon suddenly spoke up as if he could read her mind. "Now, this first time I'll go easy on you. I'll do all the work. You can come in and feed after I've made our snack agreeable."

Elena looked on as Damon made his way over towards the bar and sat himself down. He looked so comfortable, while she felt extremely out of place. She felt a few men eyeing her up and down, probably noticing how her posh dress didn't really fit in. However, as she noticed even more men giving her a curious eye, it suddenly occurred to her that they weren't looking at her because she didn't fit in, they were looking at her because they were…interested.

She quickly backed herself into a dark and smoky corner where people couldn't really see her and sat down at a table, watching Damon work. Her eyes widened when she realised how fast he had already reeled someone in. A blonde woman had sat down next to him and was giving him an eyeful of her cleavage.

Elena pursed her lips together as she looked the woman up and down. She seemed to be in her early twenties and she obviously worked here, if her dress was any indication. Her breasts practically spilled from the top, and she was doing her very best do have Damon pay for her…services.

What angered her was how Damon was lapping her attention up like no tomorrow. His hand was on the woman's upper thigh, and he was leaning over to whisper something in her ear, causing the woman to release a husky giggle.

So now that he had her right where he wanted her, he was targeting his next romp? Her father had been right; Damon had used sex and nice words to pull her into his web of seduction.

She was fuming as she saw Damon giving that woman his look; the look he always gave her when they were about to get…sexy with each other. How dare he!

Her mouth positively dropped open when Damon and the woman got up to leave, quietly slipping towards the back of this building. The audacity of that man! Seducing another woman right underneath her nose!

Elena quickly got to her feet, ready to give him a piece of her mind. Who cared if she was hungry! She wasn't about to get humiliated like this!

"Excuse me, Miss," a man blocked her path, putting a hand on her shoulder. "How much for your services?"

Elena pushed him away from her. "Get your hands off of me!" she yelled, stalking towards Damon's with even more determination.

How dare he bring her here! How dare he leave her alone in a room full of filthy men! How dare he touch a woman that wasn't her! She was going to rip his heart out! Was it murder if she did that to a demon? Well, he sure wasn't human!

She didn't even bother to knock as she stormed into the room she had seen Damon disappearing into. She threw the door open, stopping dead in her tracks at the sight in front of her. The woman in the inappropriate dress was seated on the couch with a dreamy smile on her face. Damon was sitting right next to her, latched onto her neck. He was drinking.

"Ah Elena, right on time. She's all yours. Close the door behind you, will you. We don't want any spectators," Damon said as soon as he looked up from his pre-occupation with the woman's neck.

Elena did as she was told, closing the door quickly before anyone could see. When she turned back around towards the bleeding woman on the couch, she couldn't see or hear anything besides the pumping of her blood anymore. She watched it oozing out of the woman's neck, transfixed. She licked her lips as she came closer, her anger with Damon momentarily forgotten.

The smell of blood was magnificent. It seemed like she would be even sweeter than Richard Lockwood.

Elena sank down on the couch next to the woman, her eyes focused on one thing alone; her carotid artery, pumping all that blood away underneath her skin.

"Easy," Damon whispered to her.

It was as if she had no control of her own body anymore. She only wanted one thing, and she would stop at nothing to get it. Her fangs unsheathed and the veins appeared beneath her eyes.

"Go ahead, baby. Drink."

It was all the encouragement she needed, and she sank her fangs into the exposed neck in front of her. The moment the blood hit her taste buds, something inside of her exploded. A moan escaped her as she drank deeply, savouring the glorious taste of it sliding down her throat.

Something shifted on the other side of the woman, and to her surprise Elena noticed Damon had sunk his fangs back at the spot he had been drinking from earlier.

Synchronised drinking. She liked it.

A thrilling sensation filled her as Damon cupped the back of her head with one hand, while they continued to drink together. This feeling was better than anything she had ever experienced. She felt powerful, joyous and aroused at the same time.

"Okay, Elena. Stop."

She heard his voice, but she didn't want to stop. It felt too good. She bit in even harder, burying her small hands into the woman's hair.

"Stop, Elena," Damon repeated.

She wouldn't listen. She needed more… so much more…

"Elena, _stop_!"

Two strong hands ripped her from the feeding source beneath her, interrupting her delicious feed. She whirled around and hissed at whoever dared to come between her and her meal.

"Don't you bare your fangs at me, little girl! Never forget who I am and what I could do to you. It's time to walk away here."

Elena blinked as reality slowly came back to her. Damon was standing in front of her, gripping her upper arms hard to stop her from taking too much blood from the woman on the couch.

"Damon?" she whispered in a confused voice.

"I guess self control is a lesson worth repeating for you," the vampire in front of her chuckled.

Elena turned around to look at the unconscious woman.

"Is she..?"

"No, I stopped you just in time. We'll have to repeat the process until you are able to stop yourself."

Elena bit her lip, groaning as she tasted the blood on it.

"Don't we have to compel her or something? I mean, what if she wakes up and…,"she stammered.

Damon shook his head. "I had already compelled her before you walked in. She's going to wake up, thinking that one of her clients got a little kinky with her."

Elena turned away, looking down in both shame and anger.

"Get me out of here," she snapped….

* * *

><p>"Would you mind telling me what's gotten you in such a foul mood?" Damon asked when they arrived back at his house.<p>

Elena ignored his question and stomped up the stairs, heading towards the bedroom. This was not the way she wanted to be; wandering around brothels, feeding on the men and women there. There had to be another way.

She spotted Damon leaning against the doorpost, eyeing her with amusement.

"I guess being a baby vampire must be dramatic. I should have known better. Teenagers are already very emotional when they're human. Being a baby vampire only enhances those dramas and emotions."

Elena never even felt her outburst coming; she already had him pinned up against the wall, her fangs bared to him, before she even knew what was happening.

"If you didn't want a baby vampire on your hands, you should have left me alone to begin with! You were the one that crept into my life, you were the one that defiled me and you were the one who had me drinking your blood. This is all your fault!" she hissed.

Damon laughed. "Defiled? I see you still have your sophisticated ways holding you back from what you really want to say."

He pushed her off of him with ease, making her realise that, even though she was now stronger as a vampire, he was still her superior.

"You wanted me turned, remember? You told me so yourself. You wanted me to be your dark queen. But I don't think I can do this. I can't feed from humans, Damon! What came over me in that brothel… that isn't me."

Damon took off his shirt, getting himself ready for bed. It distracted Elena for a moment, until he began to speak again.

"That was you, Elena. It was all you. Be honest with me, here. Did you feel awful when you were feeding from that woman? Did it disgust you? Or did it do something else?"

"No, but you know what did disgust me? The fact that you were putting your hands on that woman right in front of me! I felt humiliated, Damon. Did you get what you wanted? Was I just another notch on your bedpost? You finally have me where you want me; without family, without a home and I can only rely on you to survive."

Damon sat down on the bed and began taking off his shoes.

"Ah, I see we're getting to the bottom of things. This isn't about the feeding, this is about you being jealous," he told her without looking up.

Elena lunged for him, but he was quicker, turning around in time and pinning her to the bed underneath him.

"Let go of me!" she yelled.

"You hate it, don't you?" Damon ignored her request. "You hate feeling out of control. You hate wanting something so bad that it consumes every part of you, because this isn't how you were raised. You still fight it; you think you're terrible if you admit that you wanted to tear into that woman's throat. You refuse to even think about what it did to you while we were both feeding from that woman. I felt it, Elena. I felt that shift inside of you. Deep down inside you wanted me to throw you against the nearest wall and fuck you senseless right there."

Elena struggled against him.

"You're disgusting," she spat.

"Am I? Am I disgusting for wanting what I want? I like spiralling out of control every now and then. Why? Because it adds to the excitement of this life. When you were living your life, ready to marry Mason Lockwood, you couldn't wait to escape your gilded cage. Now that you have, you can't wait to run back to it."

Elena wanted to knee him in the groin, but she only succeeded in brushing it softly against him, causing Damon to groan.

"Keep wriggling just like that Elena," he said sarcastically, knowing that she hadn't deliberately made that move.

"I hate you!" she hissed.

Something shifted, snapped or whatever. Elena couldn't explain it. She only knew that she felt out of control and needed to do something to vent. Her decision was a funny one, though, as her lips suddenly crashed into Damon's, kissing the _hell_ out of him. Damon froze for a split second, before giving in.

He pressed his hips into hers and kissed her back with equal favour, his hands ripping at her dress.

"That was the only dress I had," Elena mumbled crankily.

"I'll buy you a new one."

No more words were spoken, as Elena turned them over, so she was sitting on top of him. Her nails scratched down his chest, leaving angry red marks, before ripping into his pants. She forgot about her newfound strength as it shattered beneath her hands. She attacked his chest, bit his nipples and rode his leg for all she was worth.

Damon suddenly picked her up and slammed her into the nearest wall.

"What are you doing?" Elena breathed harshly between their kisses.

"This is going to be hard and this is going to be fast. I do like my bed in one piece when this is all over."

Elena nodded, before attacking his lips again, while her hand wandered down between his legs. She gave him a firm squeeze, forgetting her strength again.

"Careful, baby. You don't want to twist the whole thing off," Damon warned her.

Elena tried to tone herself down, stroking his cock with a little more finesse. She watched as Damon's eyes rolled back in his head because of her attentions.

"I have to be inside of you," he rasped harshly.

His fingers peeled her undergarments from her body, feeling if she was ready. But if Elena was really honest, she had been more than ready since the synchronised drinking at the brothel. Damon had been right about that.

"Hold on tight."

His warning was almost enough alone to catapult her into an orgasm, but she held off. However, when he entered her and all of her musings about heightened senses during vampire sex came true, she came harder than she ever did. Her walls fluttered around his girth, making Damon clench his teeth to hold off his own orgasm. When her inner muscles finally released their death grip on him, he began to move.

Vampire sex rattled her to her very core. It was more intense, more powerful and it made her head spin. Damon pummelled into her again and again, bringing her to sensory overload. Every nerve in her body was aware of the way his thick length slid into her.

"Damon," she panted.

"I know, baby."

At that moment, he used his vampire speed and she screamed. Her nails dug into his back, scraping his skin as she came furiously.

She must have blacked out, because when she opened her eyes again, Damon had her in his bed and he was watching her intently.

"I know I was hard on you," he suddenly said. "But I know what awaits us in the near future. I need you to be ready. I need you to be a powerful vampire, because we will have to go up against your father at one point. If you let your emotions get the best of you for even one single moment, it would be the end of you."

Elena raised a hand to touch his face. "Are you ever going to tell me about that? Are you ever going to let me know what my father has on you; why he's such a threat to all vampires?"

Damon shook his head. "Not right now. Right now, you need to focus on your self control and on becoming strong. All will be revealed soon enough."

Elena snuggled into her pillow and closed her eyes, trying not to think about the near future. Being a vampire was hard enough at this point…

**A big thank you goes out to Mollie and Kate, for pre-reading this for me, and to Jaana, for doing the beta work. Love you, girlies!**

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**Twitter: plainoldSandra**


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